No Easing of Quarantine After Party Congress?… Shanghai Plans Large-Scale Isolation Facilities

Over 3,200 Beds... Project Scale of 270 Billion Won
Will 'Zero COVID' Policy Be Maintained for the Long Term?

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Kim Hyun-jung] China plans to establish an additional large-scale quarantine facility with over 3,200 beds in Shanghai, the country's "economic capital." Although there had been widespread expectations that nationwide COVID-19 prevention guidelines would be relaxed following the conclusion of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), which confirmed President Xi Jinping's third term, authorities are preparing for a prolonged battle.

According to major foreign media on the 19th (local time), at the end of last month, Shanghai issued a project order to build a COVID-19 quarantine facility with 3,250 beds on Fuxing Island located in the Huangpu River. Recently, the state-owned construction company China Communications Construction Company won the contract. The contract value amounts to 1.38 billion yuan (approximately 272 billion KRW).

Reviewing Shanghai's project documents, this quarantine facility will accommodate confirmed COVID-19 cases and close contacts. The area will cover 140,000 square meters, with 3,009 rooms to be constructed. However, the completion date of the facility has not yet been determined.

This move by the Shanghai municipal government to expand quarantine facilities is also interpreted as an indication of the prolonged zero-COVID policy in China. When Shanghai, which accounts for nearly 4% of China's total GDP, was locked down, China's GDP growth rate for the second quarter (April to June) fell sharply to 0.4% year-on-year.

Initially, both inside and outside China, it was anticipated that after the 20th CPC National Congress, the nucleic acid testing cycle would be extended and interregional mobility would improve, leading to some relaxation of zero-COVID prevention guidelines. However, the preparation for a prolonged battle, including the construction of additional quarantine facilities, is widely interpreted as the authorities' intention not to abandon the zero-COVID policy for the time being. Moreover, Li Qiang, the Shanghai Party Secretary who led the city's strict lockdown, is currently considered a strong candidate to succeed Premier Li Keqiang as China's Premier.

Foreign media assessed, "Despite public backlash and increasing economic damage, Shanghai, which endured a painful two-month city lockdown lifted in June, has pledged to adhere to the zero-COVID policy."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.