A sprawling quarantine centre with more than 4,000 rooms is being thrown up in Zhengding county in northern China in response to a Covid-19 outbreak in Shijiazhuang, a city of more than 10 million people in Hebei province.

Construction workers and materials have been sent from all over the country to help build the centre, state media reported. It’s common practice for China to mobilise resources nationwide to tackle natural disasters and other crises.

The quarantine centre is designed to house people who have been in contact with Covid-19 patients. Each room, for one person only, is 18 square metres and comes with bedding, a desk, an air conditioner, a television and Wi-Fi, the China News Service reported.

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