Residents take nucleic acid test of COVID-19 in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province on October 29, 2022. Photo: VCG

Several Chinese cities including Hangzhou, are now allowing people with COVID-19 to apply for centralized quarantine, after many expressed concern over passing the coronavirus to others under the same roof, especially the elderly and children.

At a conference on Wednesday, Qian Chaoli, an official from Hangzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, TV and Tourism said that the government is now requiring all districts, sub-counties in the city to build centralized quarantine sites offering a total of 16,030 quarantine beds for people who opt for collective quarantine. Hangzhou is the capital city of Zhejiang Province in East China.

The decision was made in response to concern among the public of the risk of spreading the virus to members of their immediate family.

Earlier this month, China published 10 new measures optimizing its COVID-19 response, including allowing asymptomatic cases and mild COVID-19 patients to opt for home quarantine if conditions allow; and stated that people can still choose centralized quarantine.

Hangzhou officials said that residents can apply central quarantine via their neighborhood communities, and will be transferred to an appropriate quarantine site. Local guidelines require that sites cannot set accommodation fees above that of market rates, and that food expenses should be no higher than 100 yuan ($14.32) per person per day.

The same day, Yanhu district Shanxi's Yuncheng city in North China adjusted a hotel, staffing it with medical workers to provide an option to residents who do not want to quarantine at home .

On Tuesday, Anji county of Zhejiang advised local hotels to roll out quarantine package ranging in three, five and seven days. During quarantine, Anji's health bureau will ask doctors to provide medical services on daily basis, and hotel staff to provide essential items to those checked-in for quarantine.

Global Times