China expands virus quarantine centre construction

China's state broadcaster CCTV on Monday said the capacity for a makeshift quarantine centre has been expanded to 4,160 rooms and construction has entered its final phase.

The broadcaster said various cables and other utilities were being installed on Monday,  as workers toiled 24 hours a day since construction began last week.

China had largely contained the coronavirus that first was detected in the central city of Wuhan in late 2019, but has suffered a surge of cases since December.

The state broadcaster said that by Sunday, doors, windows, and air conditioners had been installed in some of the units.

The quarantine houses cover an area of about 34 hectares, with 3,000 rooms initially planned.

Images from the state broadcaster CCTV showed rows of dozens of small rooms, with workers laying cables.

Construction began around Thursday with the ground foundation being laid, and 1,000 rooms installed by Saturday, according to state media.