SHANGHAI’S major exhibition venues are being turned into temporary hospitals as a new Covid-19 outbreak grips the city as lockdowns and enforced quarantine are rolled out.
Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Centre and Shanghai New International Expo Centre (above) have been designated as quarantine sites for people who have mild symptoms or are considered asymptomatic after testing.
A senior official with Shanghai Health Commission said city authorities planned to transform more venues and indoor stadiums into large-scale hospitals to accommodate thousands of residents infected with the Omicron variant.
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The moves come as China pursues a “dynamic zero-Covid policy” aimed at bringing infections down to negligible levels.
“Covid-19 infections are growing day by day at a rapid pace, ratcheting up pressure on the city’s public health system,” the official was quoted by the South China Morning Post as saying said.
“To date, the city and district-level governments have started operations of a batch of designated quarantine sites, and we are also transforming some big public venues into temporary hospitals.”
Shanghai has reported some 227,000 Covid-19 infections since the fresh outbreak began in March, most of which are asymptomatic, the Post reported
