ObjectiveTo understand the cognition，attitude and awareness on the prevention and control of COVID-19 among recent international travellers back to China（hereinafter referred to as the inbound group）and local residents（domestic group），and to provide scientific evidence for further prevention and control of the epidemic.

MethodsUsing a questionnaire website，a questionnaire entitled “Investigation and analysis of residents’ knowledge，attitude，and practice on COVID-19”was prepared，with the targeted population of the survey being international travelers back to China and local residents who had been quarantined at home for 14 days in Jinqiao Town. Cluster sampling was used to conduct the survey through WeChat. The two groups were then compared using chi-square test by using SPSS 23.0.

ResultsBetween the two groups，the awareness on the respiratory droplet transmission and inactivation effectiveness by alcohol，peracetic acid and ultraviolet ray on the SARS-CoV-2 were statistically different（P < 0.05）. In the attitude towards prevention and control measures，there was significant difference between the two groups in selecting prevention and control plans for the whole population during the outbreak（P < 0.05）. In the comparison of behavior，there was a statistical difference between the two groups（P < 0.05）whether to maintain a distance of more than 1 meter in social communication. Regarding the choice of quarantine methods（stay-at-home，intensive quarantine and no quarantine），the difference between two groups was statistically significant（P < 0.05）.

ConclusionIn terms of the knowledge of COVID-19，attitude towards prevention and control measures，and their own behavior，there are some differences between the inbound group and domestic group.