Shanghai's government extended its quarantine measures to inbound travelers from eight countries starting on Friday: South Korea, Italy, Iran, Japan, France, Spanish, Germany and the United States on Thursday to minimize the risk of novel coronavirus being introduced to the city.

People who have been to the those countries affected by the pandemic within the past two weeks will be required to quarantine themselves for 14 days upon entering Shanghai, according to a notice released by the municipal government's leading group fighting the Covid-19.

Travelers from those nations must undergo epidemiological investigation, and will be escorted to their homes or quarantine hotels by chartered buses to minimize their contact with others.

According to Zheng Jin, the spokeswoman of the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, the institution is working closely with the port and transportation administrations in the city to strengthen the management of health screenings at Shanghai's two airports.

Previously, the list included four countries, South Korea, Italy, Iran and Japan.