China is asking city governments to provide specialized quarantine facilities with thousands of rooms for overseas arrivals, as authorities have battled the delta variant with measures including strict curbs on travel.

Local governments have until the end of October to convert the facilities to provide sufficient quarantine accommodation, National Health Commission official Cui Gang told a briefing this week, with at least 20 rooms for every 10,000 residents. The goal was to prevent the country’s quarantine facilities from becoming “scattered” and “disorganized,” Cui said.

Cities will also need to provide a list of backup quarantine locations to ensure the effectiveness of their quarantine systems, Cui said.