China is in the process of building a massive quarantine camp that would house more than 4,000 people. The move is in light of an outbreak of COVID-19 this month that has left tens of millions of people in Hebei province under strict lockdown.
The quarantine buildings are located in Shijiazhuang in north China and are equipped with bathrooms, Wi-fi and air conditioning. The efforts are reminiscent of Beijing’s efforts to build makeshift hospitals in Wuhan, the centre of the virus, days after it first broke out.
A spate of all, localised breakouts has prompted China to start mass testing, impose lockdowns and prepare to move full villages into the quarantine facility to stem a resurgence. New clusters of the virus started emerging in January. The quarantine facility is expected to be completed in the next few days. The facility spans 108 acres. More than 600 workers and 100 construction machines have been working 24-hours non-stop in extreme cold condition since the last five days. Prefabricated materials are being used to help speed-up the construction.
State broadcaster CCTV showed workers in high-visibility vests and hard hats assembling the cabin-like structures in the dark. The completed structures had flags bearing the names of the construction crew and Communist Party units.
On Tuesday, China reported 118 new coronavirus patients. So far, millions of residents in Hebei have been tested for the virus multiple times. Millions living in cities would be travelling to their home towns to celebrate the upcoming Lunar New Year.
