A more precise COVID-19 quarantine policy has been launched for college students planning to go back to their hometowns, said senior officials on Sunday.

According to a notice recently released by the State Council, students whose campus doesn't have confirmed cases but the city where the college is located has sporadic outbreaks won't need to quarantine at designated places after arriving at their hometowns. They can undergo a seven-day health observation at home.

Under the policy, the students must remain in closed-loop management for seven days and hold a proof provided by the college before departure. They should also hold a negative nucleic acid results within 48 hours and stay in a closed-loop trip to the hometown.

College students should report their health condition to local authorities whenever they feel uncomfortable during the health observation period at home, according to the notice.

Local authorities are required to exempt quarantine charges for the college students after confirming the students need to quarantine at designated places in accordance with practical conditions.

Liu Peijun, deputy director of the Department of Physical, Health and Arts Education of the Ministry of Education, said at a news conference on Sunday that colleges and universities are in close contact with local authorities to ensure students are in closed-loop trip to their hometown.

He said a joint prevention and control mechanism has been established by provincial governments to coordinate students' departures and arrivals, which will help them get assistance during the trip.

"We recommend students to be fully prepared before departure, including taking the negative nucleic acid results, checking their health code and preparing prevention supplies. It's also necessary to enhance self-protection over the trips to avoid any infection risks," he said.

He added that those college students in places without sporadic outbreaks should also follow the normalized control and prevention measures of local authorities after going back to hometowns.