Cozy Quarantine: Beijing Extends Central Heating by a Week

[UPDATED: Mar 20, 5pm] Beijing's heating will be further extended until midnight on Mar 31 given that most people remain at home due to the coronavirus pandemic, as reported by Beijing Youth Daily.

Beijing’s central heating was originally scheduled to end Mar 15, but the municipal government has extended the heating period until midnight, Mar 22, the city announced yesterday.

Generally, the heating period can be extended in case of an extraordinary situation, which usually means that cold temperatures lasting later into the year than expected. This year, however, instead of the groundhog being sent back into his home, it is Beijingers being confined to their houses that sparked the need for an extension. In particular, many children remain stuck at home waiting for school to commence and the elderly – who are most susceptible to dying from the coronavirus and other wintertime ailments – are also keeping indoors, necessitating an extension of the heating period.

Officials say they are also trying to avoid a situation in which people catch a cold and mistake their symptoms for the coronavirus, causing them to go to the hospital and risk actual exposure.

During extended heating, home temperatures should not drop below 18 degrees Celsius (64 degrees Fahrenheit). The city will continue to monitor the situation and may call for a further extension if either the weather or the epidemic situation calls for it.

Residents will not have to pay for the extended heating as the cost will be borne by the city, and the gas subsidy for homes that use gas heating has been adjusted accordingly as well.

Prior to the 2019-2020 winter season, the city’s heating systems required additional testing due to renovations to the system and an expansion of the area that the system encompassed, with an estimated 15 million square meters of indoor space added.

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Image: RD.com