The quarantine camp is located on the outskirts of Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei province, which surrounds the country’s capital, Beijing.
China has largely contained the spread of the virus, with much of the country returning to normal. However, a sudden increase in cases alarmed officials and raised concerns ahead of Lunar New Year, the county’s most important annual festival, during which hundreds of millions of people are expected to travel to visit relatives.
Officials in Shijiazhuang, where the outbreak is centered, have started mass testing and strict blockades, moving entire villages to centralized quarantine facilities in an attempt to stem the spread of the virus.
The new quarantine camp will house close contacts of confirmed patients from Covid-19, while authorities continue an extensive contact screening and testing program.
It was originally planned to house 3,000 people, but has since been expanded to a capacity of 4,160. More than 4,000 construction workers carried out “six-day and night work” to complete the first phase, Shijiazhuang Deputy Mayor Meng Xianghong said on Tuesday.
Authorities began construction on January 13 and the first section of the camp is completed and ready for use, while construction continues in the second phase, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Each prefabricated room should measure 18 square meters (about 194 square feet), and will come with a bathroom and shower, desks, chairs, beds, wi-fi and a television set, according to CCTV.
Last Wednesday, a patient died in Hebei – the country’s first Covid-19-related death in 242 days.
The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in mainland China is now 88,557, while the official death toll is 4,635.
In an effort to contain the outbreak, authorities placed Shijiazhuang on blockade on January 8, with all 11 million residents banned from leaving the city.
More than 20,000 citizens from 12 villages in Shijiangzhuang were moved to other quarantine sites as a preventive measure, Chinese state media CGTN reported last week.
To date, more than 17 million people have been tested in Hebei, with authorities currently conducting a second round of mass testing in Shijiazhuang and the cities of Xingtai and Langfang.
Hebei authorities are now asking residents to stay at home, with officials sent to urban and rural areas to apply measures and ensure that people do not travel through the province and to Beijing.
In response to the perceived threat, Beijing authorities stepped up testing and screening efforts after confirming cases in the capital’s Daxing district, and announced on Wednesday that they would close two nearby subway stations until further notice.