BEIJING — International passenger flights that fail to meet China's epidemic control requirements will be subject to a longer suspension period, according to the country's civil aviation regulator.

Starting on Dec 16, flights will be suspended for two weeks instead of one week if the number of passengers who test positive for COVID-19 reaches five, according to a circular on the website of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

For flights with 10 or more passengers who test positive for the virus, the suspension will last for four weeks, unchanged from the previous policies.

On June 8, the CAAC introduced a reward and suspension mechanism, with detailed policies regulating the addition and suspension of flights.