China: after tragic miscarriage in front of a hospital, the anti-Covid rules in question

The facts occurred in the metropolis of Xi’an, in northern China, in quarantine for two weeks after the worst outbreak of Covid-19 in the country since the start of the pandemic in early 2020. According to a message released on January 1, on social media, a woman was refused entry to Gaoxin hospital for two hours on the grounds that she did not have a coronavirus test dating back less than 48 hours.

One photo shows her sitting on a plastic stool surrounded by a pool of blood.

According to her niece, who broadcast the message, the woman did have a drug test but had expired a few hours earlier. The message was deleted from social networks but has had time to arouse the anger of Internet users. AFP was unable to certify its content, but Xi’an City Hall announced the dismissal of the hospital director as well as “of officials concerned”.

An investigation was launched following the facts “which caused great concern and a negative impact on society”, according to a statement from the municipality. As early as Wednesday, local officials announced to the press the establishment of rapid access points to hospitals for certain patients such as pregnant women or those who are ill in critical condition.

China, where the epidemic was discovered at the end of 2019, practically eliminated contagion in the spring of 2020 following the adoption of a “zero Covid” strategy, based on drastic measures: containment, screening, electronic tracing, virtual border closure, vaccination. As sporadic outbreaks worry authorities, especially in the run-up to the Winter Olympics in Beijing, the country announced 189 new cases Thursday for the past 24 hours, including 63 in Xi’an.

Residents confined to homes complained of lack of food and several local officials were sanctioned for their handling of anti-epidemic measures.