A family-friendly COVID-19 ward has been launched at the provisional hospital in the Shanghai New International Expo Center, which has received 612 cases, including 100 children as of Tuesday afternoon, local news outlet Shanghai Observer reported. 

Parents can accompany their infected children regardless of being positive or not for COVID-19, according to media reports on Tuesday. 

Whether children infected with COVID-19 should be put under quarantine has triggered a wide discussion among Shanghai residents.  

Photo: Shanghai Observer

Starting on Monday evening, ambulances carrying children with mild COVID-19 and asymptomatic infections arrived at the provisional medical center one after another. They were accompanied by their parents and entered the center in an orderly manner under the guidance of the working staff. 

As of Tuesday morning, the ward for children in the medical center has received 89 child patients accompanied by their parents. A medical team of 59 members from the Shanghai Children's Medical Center will be responsible for the treatment and care of these child patients.

The family-friendly accommodations allow children to stay with their parents for a better care. After strict medical evaluation, children with mild COVID-19 and asymptomatic infections will be sent to provisional medical centers. "Children with tumors, cardiovascular diseases and other basic diseases will be treated in hospitals instead of provisional centers," said a staff from the Shanghai Children's Medical Center.