BEIJING, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Beijing has converted the New China International Exhibition Center into a transit center for inbound passengers from countries with high risks of COVID-19, according to a press conference Thursday.

The center, divided into different zones according to the destinations of passengers, is used for people showing no fever, cough and other symptoms in the health quarantine at the airport, according to Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of the Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control.

Inbound passengers need to undergo temperature screening and fill in a health declaration before leaving the airport customs, and a second temperature detection is required before they enter the transit center, Pang said.

The staff of each zone will check the health conditions of the inbound passengers and send those showing abnormal symptoms such as fever to designated hospitals, she added.

According to Pang, temperature screening and checks on health conditions are required again before those passengers board the transfer vehicles to their destinations.

With convenient transportation, the exhibition center stands 8 km away from the capital airport.

The capital Wednesday reported five new suspected cases of novel coronavirus disease, four of which were from abroad.