Guangzhou ramps up plans for backup hospitals

Authorities in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, have formulated a plan for building temporary reserve hospitals in each of the city's 11 districts, including the conversion of sports and exhibition venues.

They have also formulated contingency plans for using the facilities.

Each district will finance or supply 300 to 500 beds in one or more places. The city will finance another 1,000 beds, said Chen Bin, deputy director of the Guangzhou health commission, at a news conference on Monday.

The temporary hospitals in sports venues that were built rapidly in Wuhan, Hubei province, earlier this year played an important role in observing and treating a large number of COVID-19 patients with relatively minor symptoms, and will serve as the model in Guangzhou, Chen said.