China builds new quarantine center as coronavirus cases rise
Skip to main content
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Stocks
  • Analysis
  • World+Biz
  • Sports
  • Splash
  • Features
  • Videos
  • Long Read
  • Games
  • Epaper
  • More
    • COVID-19
    • Bangladesh
    • Infograph
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Thoughts
    • Podcast
    • Quiz
    • Tech
    • Subscribe
    • Archive
    • Trial By Trivia
    • Magazine
    • Supplement
  • বাংলা
The Business Standard
WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2022
WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2022
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Stocks
  • Analysis
  • World+Biz
  • Sports
  • Splash
  • Features
  • Videos
  • Long Read
  • Games
  • Epaper
  • More
    • COVID-19
    • Bangladesh
    • Infograph
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Thoughts
    • Podcast
    • Quiz
    • Tech
    • Subscribe
    • Archive
    • Trial By Trivia
    • Magazine
    • Supplement
  • বাংলা
China builds new quarantine center as coronavirus cases rise

Coronavirus chronicle

Hindustan Times
15 January, 2021, 05:10 pm
Last modified: 15 January, 2021, 06:12 pm

Related News

  • China Junshi's potential Covid drug shows promise in small trial
  • Yellen calls on US, European allies to confront China together
  • China Vice Premier Liu soothes tech firms, supports overseas listings
  • China Eastern crash probe eyes intentional action
  • Iraq balks at greater Chinese control of its oilfields

China builds new quarantine center as coronavirus cases rise

The spike in northern China comes as World Health Organization experts prepare to collect data on the origin of the pandemic after arriving Thursday in Wuhan, where the coronavirus was first detected in late 2019

Hindustan Times
15 January, 2021, 05:10 pm
Last modified: 15 January, 2021, 06:12 pm
People line up to get a nucleic acid test at a hospital following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in Beijing, China January 7, 2021. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
People line up to get a nucleic acid test at a hospital following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in Beijing, China January 7, 2021. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

A city in northern China is building a 3,000-unit quarantine facility to deal with an anticipated overflow of patients as Covid-19 cases rise ahead of the Lunar New Year travel rush.

State media on Friday showed crews leveling earth, pouring concrete and assembling pre-fabricated rooms in farmland outside Shijiazhuang, the provincial capital of Hebei province that has seen the bulk of new cases.

That recalled scenes last year, when China rapidly built field hospitals and turned gymnasiums into isolation centers to cope with the initial outbreak linked to the central city of Wuhan.

China has largely contained further domestic spread of the coronavirus, but the recent spike has raised concerns due to the proximity to the capital Beijing and the impending rush of people planning to travel large distances to rejoin their families for country's most important traditional festival.

The National Health Commission on Friday said 1,001 patients were under care for the disease, 26 of them in serious condition. It said that 144 new cases were recorded over the past 24 hours. Hebei accounted for 90 of the new cases, while Heilongjiang province farther north reported 43.

Nine cases were brought from outside the country, while local transmissions also occurred in the southern Guangxi region and the northern province of Shaanxi, illustrating the virus' ability to move through the vast country of 1.4 billion people despite quarantines, travel restrictions and electronic monitoring.

Shijiazhuang has been placed under virtual lockdown, along with the Hebei cities of Xingtai and Langfang, parts of Beijing and other cities in the northeast. That has cut off travel routes while more than 20 million people have been told to stay home for the coming days.

In all, China has reported 87,988 confirmed cases with 4,635 deaths.

The spike in northern China comes as World Health Organization experts prepare to collect data on the origin of the pandemic after arriving Thursday in Wuhan, where the coronavirus was first detected in late 2019. Team members must undergo two weeks of quarantine before they can begin field visits.

Two of the 15 members were held up in Singapore over their health status. One of those, a British national, was approved for travel Friday after testing negative for the coronavirus, while the second, a Sudanese citizen from Qatar, had again tested positive, the Foreign Ministry announced.

The visit was approved by President Xi Jinping's government after months of diplomatic wrangling that prompted an unusual public complaint by the head of WHO.

That delay, along with Beijing's tight control of information and promotion of theories the pandemic began elsewhere, added to speculation that China is seeking to prevent discoveries that chisel away at its self-proclaimed status as a leader in the battle against the virus.

Scientists suspect the virus that has killed more than 1.9 million people since late 2019 jumped to humans from bats or other animals, most likely in China's southwest.

Former WHO official Keiji Fukuda, who is not on the team, cautioned against raising expectations for any breakthroughs from the visit, saying that it may take years before any firm conclusions can be made.

"China is going to want to come out avoiding blame, perhaps shifting the narrative, they want to come across as being competent and transparent," he told The Associated Press in an interview from Hong Kong.

For its part, the WHO wants to project the image that it is "taking, exerting leadership, taking and doing things in a timely way," said Fukuda.

In Wuhan, street life appeared little different from other Chinese cities where the virus has been largely brought under control.

In a riverside park, senior citizens gathered to drink and dance while residents had praise overall for the government's response to the crisis.

"Other countries are not very supportive and don't pay attention to the pandemic, people go out arbitrarily, and they hang out and gather together, so it's especially easy for them to be infected," resident Xiang Nan said. "I hope they can stay home, and reduce traveling ... don't let the pandemic spread further anymore."

China is also pushing ahead with inoculations using home-developed vaccines, with more than 9 million already vaccinated and plans for 50 million to have the shot by the middle of next month.

World+Biz / South Asia

china

Comments

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderation decisions are subjective. Published comments are readers’ own views and The Business Standard does not endorse any of the readers’ comments.

Top Stories

  • Photo: MumitM/TBS
    BERC recommends 57.83% hike on bulk electricity price
  • Dollar price comes down to Tk98 day after crossing Tk100 
    Dollar price comes down to Tk98 day after crossing Tk100 
  • Infographic: TBS
    Bakery business: Out of the frying pan into the fire

MOST VIEWED

  • Representational image.
    China Junshi's potential Covid drug shows promise in small trial
  • A woman wearing protective mask walks at a sidewalk near business district in Jakarta, Indonesia March 2, 2020. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan/Files
    Indonesia to drop outdoor mask mandate as Covid-19 infections drop
  • North Korean leader Kim Jong Un presides over a politburo meeting of the ruling Workers' Party, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, May 17, 2022, in this photo released May 18, 2022 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). KCNA via REUTERS
    N Korean leader slams officials' 'immaturity' in response to Covid outbreak
  • North Korea Covid outbreak is 'worrying' for new variants -WHO
    North Korea Covid outbreak is 'worrying' for new variants -WHO
  • People watch a TV broadcasting a news report on the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak in North Korea, at a railway station in Seoul, South Korea on 17 May 2022. Photo: Reuters.
    N Korea Covid outbreak could have 'devastating' impact on human rights, UN says
  • Two women hug at a closed street during lockdown, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Shanghai, China, May 16, 2022. REUTERS/Aly Song
    Shanghai achieves 'zero Covid' status but normal life is weeks away

Related News

  • China Junshi's potential Covid drug shows promise in small trial
  • Yellen calls on US, European allies to confront China together
  • China Vice Premier Liu soothes tech firms, supports overseas listings
  • China Eastern crash probe eyes intentional action
  • Iraq balks at greater Chinese control of its oilfields

Features

‘The geopolitical landscape is undergoing profound change, Dhaka needs to craft proactive strategies’

‘The geopolitical landscape is undergoing profound change, Dhaka needs to craft proactive strategies’

6h | Interviews
Graphics: TBS

Facebook and Bangladeshi politicians: A new tide in mass political communication?

7h | Panorama
Despite Bangladesh having about 24,000 km of waterways, only a few hundred kilometres are covered by commercial launch services. Photo: Saad Abdullah

Utilising waterways: When common home-goers show the way

1d | Panorama
Illustration: TBS

How Putin revived Nato

1d | Panorama

More Videos from TBS

How Putin revived Nato

How Putin revived Nato

1h | Videos
Paddle steamers in Bangladesh

Paddle steamers in Bangladesh

7h | Videos
Genome sequencing: best ways to diagnose pediatrics

Genome sequencing: best ways to diagnose pediatrics

7h | Videos
Reasons behind the sudden fall in stock market

Reasons behind the sudden fall in stock market

7h | Videos

Most Read

1
Representative Photo: Pixabay.
Bangladesh

Microplastics found in 5 local sugar brands

2
Mushfiq Mobarak. Photo: Noor-A-Alam
Panorama

Meet the Yale professor who anchors his research in Bangladesh and scales up interventions globally

3
The story of Bangladesh becoming a major bicycle exporter
Industry

The story of Bangladesh becoming a major bicycle exporter

4
How Bangladesh can achieve edible oil self-sufficiency with local alternatives
Bazaar

How Bangladesh can achieve edible oil self-sufficiency with local alternatives

5
Govt tightens belt to relieve reserve
Economy

Govt tightens belt to relieve reserve

6
Impact of falling taka against US dollar
Banking

Taka losing more value as global currency market volatility persists

The Business Standard
Top
  • Home
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • About Us
  • Bangladesh
  • International
  • Privacy Policy
  • Comment Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Economy
  • Sitemap
  • RSS

Contact Us

The Business Standard

Main Office -4/A, Eskaton Garden, Dhaka- 1000

Phone: +8801847 416158 - 59

Send Opinion articles to - oped.tbs@gmail.com

For advertisement- sales@tbsnews.net

Copyright © 2022 THE BUSINESS STANDARD All rights reserved. Technical Partner: RSI Lab