Ekeomah Atuonwu
SHANGHAI, CHINA- Following a public outcry after a senior citizen was mistaken for dead by staff at an aged care facility and sent to the morgue, Shanghai authorities have fired at least six people.
On Monday morning, the Putuo district government confirmed the error and announced an investigation. It was revealed hours later that four officials, including the director of the care home and a doctor, had been fired.
The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon, and videos circulated widely on Chinese social media showing two men who appeared to be mortuary workers handling a yellow body bag outside the Shanghai Xinchangzheng welfare hospital, the aged care center in Changzheng township of Putuo.
The men, who are in protective clothing, can be seen unzipping the bag in front of an employee from the centre and insisting that the person is still alive. The staff member then checks for signs of life and reseals the bag, despite protests of bystanders fearing the patient would suffocate.
The incident triggered a new wave of horror for many Shanghai residents, whose grief and anger are at boiling point as harsh citywide lockdowns in place since March 28 show no signs of easing. The local government is facing mounting criticism for its handling of the Omicron outbreak.
Shanghai, China’s largest city and home to almost 25 million people, is now in its sixth week of restrictions aimed at curbing Covid cases, which began spiking again in March.
Most people are still banned from leaving their homes for any reason – Covid-infected and their close contacts are forced to go to a state-run quarantine centre.
Videos have emerged showing clashes between police and people being forced out of their homes.
China is one of the last remaining nations still committed to eradicating Covid, in contrast to most of the world which is trying to live with the virus.
But this zero-Covid policy has come under strain in recent weeks with the spread of the Omicron variant.
