People returning or coming to Beijing by car must get their temperature checked at entrances to the city on expressways, a move to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus during the peak travel period after the Spring Festival holiday ended.

Sunday is the last day of the Chinese Spring Festival holiday, which started Jan 24 and was scheduled to end on Thursday, after the State Council postponed the holiday's end date due to the effects of the deadly virus.

The number of confirmed cases of novel coronavirus rose to 168 in the capital as of Sunday morning, with one death and nine people discharged from hospitals, according to the Beijing Municipal Health Commission.

Except for checks at expressway entrances, other transport stations, including railway stations, subway stations and airports, also have started to check passengers' temperatures to reduce the risk of the virus spreading, according to the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport.

Most cities and provinces and regions across the country have taken similar measures to check travelers' health condition, including North China's Hebei, Northwest China's Gansu and South China's Guangdong provinces, and the cities of Tianjin and Chongqing.