China, the country where the novel coronavirus originated, has tightened entry procedures for foreigners amid rapid global spread of the virus, most notably in Europe and North America.

According to China's state-run Xinhua news agency on Sunday, the State Council standing committee stressed the need to raise the protective wall against entry and spread of the infectious disease through international cooperation and border quarantine.

Starting Monday, the capital Beijing will require all incoming visitors to be placed under a 14-day quarantine, with the travelers covering related costs.

Referring to 111 new infections on Saturday involving people from overseas, Global Times, under the auspices of the Chinese Communist Party's People's Daily newspaper, said it was fortunate the cases were identified during entry or subsequent quarantine.

Stressing the need for strong pandemic prevention against imported cases, the paper expressed support for Beijing's latest decision, which it hoped would become a model nationwide.