At the end of March, as the pandemic eased in China, there were no new cases reported in Chengdu for several consecutive days. We disassembled the observation wards while maintaining the whole manpower structure. Instead of observation wards, in each regular ward, we installed two areas: one was a “fever area”, and the other was an observation area. New patients were assigned to these two areas according to their physical condition. COVID-19 nucleic acid examination and chest CT scan were performed among all new patients to eliminate the risk of carrying the novel coronavirus. After 14 days of observation, if certain criteria (negative nucleic test result, negative chest CT result and normal body temperature for 3 days) [5] were met, these new patients were transferred to general rooms.
As the understanding of COVID-19 is constantly updated, we have adjusted our prevention strategies in a timely manner. When the pandemic situation improved, we suggested that staff could leave Chengdu but not Sichuan Province; otherwise, they will have to go through 14-day self-quarantine and COVID-19 nucleic acid tests. In the summer, we will fix separate air-conditioners with air-purifying functions in each ward.
As stated above, psychiatric hospitals are facing critical administrative challenges in this pandemic. We hope that our experiences can serve as a reference for other mental health hospitals in terms of minimizing the adverse outcomes of this pandemic for the mentally ill population.