Authorities in the Chinese city of Guangzhou, are giving free cellphones to travelers entering the region from the Ebola hot zones of West Africa in order to track them for 21 days.

Travelers arriving from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone are now receiving health care packages that include a free cell phone with local SIM card, a thermometer, and a local map, reports Xinhua.

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"Passengers who get the phone should keep it turned on for the following 21 days," said Wu Huiming, deputy head of the bureau. "In this way, disease control personnel can track and contact them as quickly as possible."

Close to 100 phones have already been distributed, according to the city's airport entry-exit inspection and quarantine bureau.

However, those who do not abide by the rules will be added to a "blacklist" by police next time he or she enters the country, said Wu.

The Guangdong province, particularly its capital of Guangzhou, has strong economic relationships with several African countries, and sees more than 160 direct flights from Africa each month.

With strong economic ties with Africa, Guangzhou receives over 160 direct flights from Africa each month, and many Africans enter the province after transfers at other overseas airports.

In fact, there are more than 20,000 Africans living in Guangzhou, most of whom reside in a 10 square kilometer area that local cab drivers call "Chocolate City."

TagsEbola hot zones, Guangzhou, free cell phones, free mobile phones, tracking ebola patients, Chocolate City