Massive quarantine sites being built in China's Guangzhou as Covid cases spiral

The southern Chinese city of Guangzhou is setting up makeshift Covid hospitals and quarantine sites with capacity for nearly 2,50,000 beds for Covid patients.

Amid the recent spike in Covid cases across the country, massive quarantine sites and makeshift hospitals are reportedly being built to accommodate at least 2,50,000 people in the Chinese city of Guangzhou.

The city of 13 million residents, Guangzhou, has faced an increase in the number of Covid cases since early October. It reported over 7,000 Covid cases earlier on Saturday.

Visuals of the construction of the quarantine sites are being widely shared on social media platforms. NEXTA, an Eastern European media, shared visuals from the camp site which showed the construction of a quarantine centre for nearly 80,000 people.

As the Covid infections spiral, the city has accelerated the construction of makeshift hospitals and isolation sites, with plans to build a space for 2,46,407 beds. This comes after the authorities have already sent 95,300 people from the city’s Haizhu district to quarantine centres or for hospital treatment, as reported by Reuters.

Meanwhile, China's capital, Beijing and other mega-cities continue to struggle to contain outbreaks, with Chongqing and Guangzhou reporting the bulk of new infections.

Recently, officials have repeatedly insisted that China must stick with its hard-line 'zero-Covid' policy that mandates lockdowns, mass testing and quarantines for anyone suspected of having come into contact with the virus. The policy continues to have a severe impact on the country's economy and upended lives in many Chinese cities.

Meanwhile, China reported 38,645 new Covid-19 infections on Tuesday, of which 3,624 were symptomatic and 35,021 were asymptomatic. That is compared with 40,347 new cases a day earlier – 3,822 symptomatic and 36,525 asymptomatic infections, which China counts separately.

China is battling coronavirus outbreaks in numerous major cities, including Chongqing and the capital, Beijing.

Courtesy: India today