Chinese exit and entry departments will continue to provide convenient services to citizens returning to China, although some countries or regions are prohibiting the entry or departure of people from the key outbreak areas of the novel coronavirus on the Chinese mainland, said the National Immigration Administration on Monday.

Chinese citizens can enter the country normally at the ports open to the outside world by presenting valid exit and entry documents, said the administration on Monday.

Immigration authorities at all levels will cooperate with relevant health and medical institutions to carry out necessary screening of the pneumonia and assist in properly arranging personnel for medical observation or isolation.

To effectively prevent and control the epidemic, protect the health of entry and exit personnel, and maintain entry and exit order, the administration has adjusted the exit and entry administration measures for Chinese citizens in some regions and ports.

The exit and entry administration departments of central China's Hubei province, whose capital city of Wuhan is the outbreak epicenter, have suspended accepting applications for ordinary passports as well as exit and entry permits for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

Special channels will be opened for individual case examination and approval for those who need to leave the Chinese mainland for urgent reasons during this period.

Those who have a valid permit to and from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, or who are affected by the epidemic and failed to enter the three places within the validity period, can renew their permit of the same type and validity period free of charge after the outbreak is over.

According to the needs of epidemic prevention and control at the port, part of the self-service inspection channels shall be suspended and changed to manual channels.