Guangzhou intl health station set to open in Sept

Construction of the main structure of the first phase of a new international health station has been completed, allowing it to open in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, within September.

Covering an area of more than 330,000 square meters, the station, with a construction floor space of 250,000 square meters, will play an important role in preventing and controlling the importation of novel coronavirus infections in the southern metropolis, which is one of the major exit and entry ports on the Chinese mainland, authorities said on Thursday.

All inbound passengers will be sent to the station for two weeks of quarantine upon arrival in Guangzhou, meaning they will no longer need to be quarantined at designated hotels in the city, said authorities.

Currently, all inbound passengers must register a negative nucleic acid test result after 14 days of quarantine before they are allowed to leave their quarantine hotels.

The station with facilities including a fever clinic, a comprehensive medical clinic, blood purification centers and laboratories will provide high-quality diagnosis and treatment services for inbound passengers.

In addition to 5G communication, internet of things and artificial intelligence, drones and robots will be introduced to help distribute medicine and disinfect wards and public venues in the station.

Located in Zhongluotan township in Guangzhou's Baiyun district, the station -- which has 5,074 independent isolation rooms, ranging from 18 to 39 square meters, plus another 11 accessible ones -- is about a 30-minute drive to the Guangzhou Eighth People's Hospital, a designated hospital for COVID-19 patients, and Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, one of the major aviation hubs on the mainland.

And Guangdong, China's southern gateway, has now become one of the major front-line areas on the mainland to intercept and manage people with COVID-19 who are entering the country.