While Beijing had been receiving praise for how it’s been managing international arrivals and quarantine, even the best laid plans can sometimes prove futile against the force of numbers.

Last week, Beijing decreed that all inbound travelers from other countries would be forced to go into quarantine for two weeks upon arrival, either at home or in a designated hotel, in order to address the threat of imported coronavirus cases renewing the Covid-19 outbreak in China.

For that purpose, an exhibition center next to the Beijing Capital Airport was converted into a massive reception area where travelers could be processed outside the confines of the cramped airport.

The system attracted attention on international social media:

As Chinese swarm back to China, all provinces set up checkpoints near Beijing airport. All Chinese passengers receive quarantine for 14 days, in government designated center, before permitted for release. This is far more economically rational than shutting flights. #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/B75j09cxHl — Shirley Yu (@shirleyzeyu) March 14, 2020

Where it was compared favorably to the conditions at some airports in the United States, which were slammed with travelers on Friday and Saturday following a bungled presidential announcement about “all” travel from Europe being suspended.

This is the scene at O’Hare airport. The traveler who took the photo said it’s a 6-hour wait for bags then on to customs for 2-4 more of waiting in shoulder-to-shoulder crowds. Police are handing out water and disinfectant wipes. @fly2ohare #ord #coronavirus #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/UTx9E0nj1s — Brooke Geiger McDonald (@BrookeGMcDonald) March 15, 2020

Arrival at US Dallas Airport versus China Beijing Airport (uses a nearby exhibition hall for triage). Photos from @JasonWhitely and @Tianyuf respectively. pic.twitter.com/YdhbYSM2mp — Hong-Eng Koh (高宏荣) (@he_koh) March 15, 2020

However, Beijing’s airport started to look a lot like O’Hare over the weekend as overseas Chinese nationals rushed back home to China, believing that it has now become the safest place to ride out the pandemic.

This is one photo going around on wechat showing the situation at Beijing Airport today ✈️ pic.twitter.com/J5x1i73cy2 — Manya Koetse (@manyapan) March 15, 2020

Feel how many people are returning China ! Luggage transport at Beijing airport's T2 terminal is jammed… The offices of 36 provinces and regions in Beijing are in the exhibition hall next to the airport to divert the returnees pic.twitter.com/OqKf7RosZU — DanNgutTuiVin (@hiromotoBB) March 15, 2020