BEIJING (AP) – An extensive 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.
European Space Agency satellite images show dramatic changes over ten days in an area where there was only flat ground before construction began on 13 January.
Rows of prefabricated houses can be seen. According to the official People’s Daily newspaper, by January 19, more than 600 rooms were ready. Another 3,600 must be completed by that time.
Construction workers and materials were sent from across the country to help build the center, state media reported. It is common practice for China to mobilize resources nationwide to tackle natural disasters and other crises.
Last year, two hospitals, Huoshenshan and Leishenshan, were built within days to treat COVID-19 patients in the city of Wuhan, where the coronavirus was first detected.
China has largely curbed the domestic spread of the virus, but is struggling with outbreaks this winter in its icy north. The National Health Commission on Monday reported 145 new cases in the latest 24-hour period, including 11 in Hubei province.
The quarantine center is designed to house people who have been in contact with COVID-19 patients. Each China, for one person only, is 18 square meters (190 square feet) and has bedding, a desk, an air conditioner, a television and WiFi, the China News Service reported.
It is in Zhengding Province, 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 this report.