Chinese border town builds makeshift hospital to cope with coronavirus cases coming in from Russia
- Rising number of imported Covid-19 cases prompts lockdown and stricter controls between neighbours
- Quarantine and testing at checkpoints are ‘stretched beyond limit’
A 13-storey office building in Suifenhe, in the northeast province of Heilongjiang, was being converted into a hospital that would have 600 beds and 400 doctors and nurses when it opened on Saturday, Heilongjiang Daily said.
Medical workers in the new hospital will be from the province, including some returned from helping the province of Hubei cope with its crisis, according to the report.
The conversion began on Monday, when the number of imported cases rose significantly.
While 180 workers and 120 volunteers were mobilised to build the hospital, the city announced a lockdown. The lockdown allows one person per household to go out every three days for essential purchases, with 330 checkpoints operating 24 hours a day to implement the restrictions.