Beijing (AP) – An expanded quarantine center with more than 4,000 rooms is being dumped in northern China in response to a COVID-19 outbreak in Shijiazhuang, a city of more than 10 million people in Hebei Province.
Satellite images from the European Space Agency show dramatic changes over 10 days in an area where there was only flat ground before construction began on January 13th.
You can see rows of prefabricated houses. The official newspaper of the People’s Daily said that more than 600 rooms are ready by January 19. Another 3,600 will be added until completion.
Construction and materials workers were sent from all over the country to help build the center, state media reported. It is common practice for China to mobilize resources at the national level to combat natural disasters and other crises.
Last year, two hospitals, Huoshenshan and Leishenshan, were built in a few days to treat COVID-19 patients in Wuhan, where the coronavirus was first detected.
China has largely limited the virus’s internal spread, but is battling outbreaks this winter in its cold north. The National Health Commission reported 145 new cases in the last 24 hours on Monday, including 11 in Hubei Province.
The quarantine center is designed to accommodate people who have been in contact with patients with COVID-19. Each room, for one person, has 18 square meters (190 square meters) and has bed linen, desk, air conditioning, TV and Wi-Fi, reported China News Service.
It is located in Zhengding County, a suburban area in northern Shijiazhuang. The city, the capital of Hebei, is about 260 kilometers southwest of Beijing.
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Associated Press News Assistant Caroline Chen contributed to the report.