Objective   To examine the performance of centralized isolation medical observation points for the control of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic in Beijing.

  Methods  With on-site survey, review of operation records and questionnaire interview with related personnel, we investigated 170 COVID-19 centralized isolation medical observation points randomly selected from 280 observation points in Beijing during March – December 2020.

  Results   For the 169 observation points with completed information, 87 (51.5%) were qualified for all indicators specified in relevant standards and regulations issued by national health administrations; in terms of specific indicators, the qualification rates were 85.8% for organizational framework, 89.3% for responsibility fulfillment of all parties, 60.9% for hygiene requirements, 84.6% for operation procedures, 94.1% for personal protection, and 89.3% for isolation management, respectively. Compared to those of the observation points in suburban regions, the qualification rates of the observation points in urban regions were significantly lower for organizational framework, responsibilities of all parties, hygiene requirements and operation procedures (P < 0.05 for all); the qualification rate of personal protection of the observation points located in three star class hotels was significantly higher than that of the observation points in four star class and above hotels (P < 0.05); the qualification rate of organizational framework and operation procedures of the observation points for close contacts were significantly lower than those of the observation points for international travelers (both P < 0.05).

  Conclusion   For nearly a half of the COVID-19 centralized isolation medical observation points in Beijing city, the epidemic control-related performance was not qualified as required and the situation needs to be concerned by relevant government departments.