Latest policy on family quarantine in Shanghai
An infant receives PCR testing in Shanghai.
Parents can accompany their children to quarantine and for treatment at designated sites if both the parent and child test positive of COVID-19, according to the Shanghai Health Commission.
Parents who test positive can stay with their infected kids in children's sections at local designated hospitals and quarantine sites, Wu Qianyu, an official with the health commission, said on Monday.
If the child tests positive and is younger than 7 years old, he or she will be treated without parents at the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, the city's key designated hospital for COVID-19 infections, Wu said at the daily COVID-19 press briefing.
Most older children and young kids with their parents will be treated at local central quarantine sites by professional pediatric medical teams, she said.
Chinese law related to infectious disease prevention and treatment mandates that infected patients be separated from uninfected people.
Wu noted that treatment and medical observation of children are "very important jobs that touch everyone's hearts."
The commission has asked all local designated hospitals and quarantine sites to focus on certain COVID-19 patients, such as children, pregnant women and the elderly, with targeted treatment and quarantine measures, Wu said.
Caregivers designated by parents or the pertinent subdistrict will look after children whose parents test positive for COVID-19, said Zeng Qun, deputy director of the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau
"The top priority is to guarantee the physical and mental well-being of the children," Zeng said. "Children must be protected and taken care of."
