In Suifenhe on the China-Russia border in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, a 15-minute drive from the city center, is a newly converted hospital that was previously an office building. It is being used to treat COVID-19 patients who have recently returned from Russia.
It is expected to receive asymptomatic patients as of this Saturday. 600 beds and 400 medical workers are all on standby and more medical equipment will be installed in the coming few days. The building's central air-conditioning has been upgraded to ensure closed-cycle ventilation in areas where COVID-19 patients will be treated.
The first and second floors are work stations for medical staff, while two special passages on the first floor were set up as a "buffer" zone for sterilization while medical workers entering or leaving the compound. Between the third and 11th floors is where patients will be staying, and these will have negative pressure wards.
The drainage system of the whole building is designed with careful considerations; all sewage must be sanitized in a reinforced tank underground first before being discharged. Due to the city's cold climate, central heating will be provided until the end of this month.
The whole city is on high alert after the sudden surge in imported COVID-19 cases in the past couple of days. The latest figures on Friday show that 28 imported cases and 11 asymptomatic patients were confirmed, there are still 1,037 returned travelers under medical observation.
Strict anti-epidemic measures have been imposed. For instance people in Suifenhe have been told to stay at home, although the lockdown isn't as severe as that experienced by Hubei Province. Still, only one person per household is allowed to shop for essentials once every three days.
Also, the land border for people crossing has been shut down since Tuesday to completely cut off the inflow of passengers, to prevent further increases in confirmed cases as well as asymptomatic patients. Trucks carrying daily necessities are allowed to pass the border with special permits to ensure the supply of food and other groceries on both sides of the border.