A woman was caught hiding inside the trunk of a car at one of the entry points to Shanghai on the morning of Feb 11, according to a notice on the official Weibo account of the Songjiang district police bureau.

All cars entering Shanghai have been subjected to a comprehensive inspection as part of measures to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus pneumonia.

The police said that the woman, who works in Shanghai, returned to her hometown, which is located in the epicenter of the novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak, on Jan 22 to celebrate the Spring Festival.

To avoid the mandated 14-day quarantine stipulated by Shanghai authorities, the woman attempted to avoid detection by hiding in the trunk of her friend's car.

Both the woman and the driver were found to have normal body temperatures. The pair have since been placed in compulsory isolation.