China's Guangdong has required people arriving in the province from other countries to be quarantined for 14 days as the number of imported cases of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues to rise.

No matter what their nationalities are, people who arrive in the province from abroad will undergo a 14-day home observation or self-paid concentrated medical observation from Saturday, according to the provincial headquarters for the COVID-19 prevention and control.

Those who entered China via Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and borders outside the province and had previously been abroad over the past 14 days will also receive a 14-day quarantine, the headquarters said in a statement.

The Chinese mainland reported 41 new imported COVID-19 cases Friday, bringing the total number of imported cases to 269, the National Health Commission said Saturday.

Of the newly imported cases, seven were reported in Guandong.