Xi’an Health Official Defends Centralized Quarantine in Face of Public Outcry

A senior health official in China’s northwestern city of Xi’an defended the widespread use of centralized quarantine, saying it can effectively cut Covid-19 transmission, after local residents complained they were taken to centralized quarantine venues with little notice, sparking a public outcry online.

The capital of Shaanxi province is battling its worst Covid outbreak in nearly two years, registering more than 1,750 cases since Dec. 9. The surge in delta variant cases, driven by community infections, has forced the government to order all 13 million residents of the city to stay at home.