City has 'sufficient' capacity to centrally quarantine COVID-19 close contacts
A central quarantine hotel in Hangzhou, neighboring Zhejiang Province, to harbor close contacts from Shanghai.
Shanghai has sufficient housing resources for the central quarantine of close contacts of new positive COVID-19 cases every day, vice mayor Peng Chenlei said Friday.
According to the city's "dynamic zero-COVID" principle, both confirmed infections and their close contacts must be centrally quarantined.
The close contacts, meaning they have unprotected contact with confirmed or suspected cases, will be centrally quarantined for two weeks and undergo multiple nucleic acid testing, followed by another week of home quarantine and health observation.
Local districts have collected, vacated or merged their housing resources to cater to the demand of close contacts popping up every day, Peng told the city's daily press briefing on the pandemic.
Neighboring Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces have also provided rooms and sites for the central quarantine of Shanghai close contacts, he said.
The district governments must find suitable sites, design transport routes and arrange vehicles to ensure the close contacts are safely sent to the central quarantine sites, he added.
Strict epidemic prevention standards have been made for these central quarantine sites, especially the disinfection and sanitation standards, safeguards, logistics and waste treatment.
A central quarantine hotel in Hangzhou, neighboring Zhejiang Province, to harbor close contacts from Shanghai.
All staff working at the sites, for instance, must receive two jabs of COVID-19 vaccines, live in quarantined places and receive frequent polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests to prevent cross infection, virus spillover or other safety accidents, the vice mayor said.
Every close contact will be arranged to live in a room alone, with daily temperature checks and regular PCR testing. The staff will try their best to guarantee the supply of living and daily necessities.
If a close contact tests positive, he/she will be transmitted to a designated or makeshift hospital immediately and placed in closed-loop management.
They will be freed from quarantine after the close contacts test negative and show no symptoms, such as fever. They can return home for further health observation.
During the home quarantine, they are asked to live alone and keep distance from cohabitants who should also avoid going out or taking public transport unless it is necessary, Peng said.
The city reported 3,200 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases and 19,872 local asymptomatic infections on Thursday.
Over 2,000 close contacts of the positive cases have been put under central quarantine, according to Shanghai Health Commission.
Also on Thursday, 543 coronavirus patients were discharged from designated hospitals, while 8,070 asymptomatic infections or people with mild conditions were discharged from local makeshift hospitals after making a full recovery.
