Corona pandemic in China: Shanghai separates infected children from parents

There is a strict lockdown in the economic metropolis of Shanghai. After massive criticism of the measures, the authorities have now admitted that infected babies and young children are being taken from families.

Children who test positive are separated from their parents and placed in special isolation centers. A spokesman for the municipal health commission in Shanghai said. Parents should only accompany their children if they themselves have tested positive.

According to the strict corona measures in China, people who are infected have to go to a hospital or a state quarantine facility. These mass accommodations are set up in Shanghai in exhibition halls and sports stadiums. Exceptions have been made due to overcrowded facilities, so that some of those who have tested positive are allowed to isolate themselves at home.

Densely packed cots

The fact that children are being separated from their parents has caused resentment on Chinese social networks. Parents have complained that they didn’t know if their children were doing well for days. Unverifiable videos of babies and toddlers were shared in state institutions where cots are close together – sometimes with three children in one bed.

The French consulate has written to the government in Shanghai on behalf of the EU member states, demanding that parents and children should not be separated. The writing suits him ARD-Studio Shanghai.

Strict lockdown, duration unclear

The city of Shanghai is in a de facto city-wide lockdown after a week-long spike in the number of infections. According to the current status, districts in which there are positive cases will remain closed for another seven to 14 days. Based on the experiences of the past few weeks, however, such announcements by the city have not turned out to be reliable. Most of the time, the lockdowns lasted longer.

In the fight against the virus, the Chinese state and party leadership has sent the military and tens of thousands of doctors and paramedics from other parts of the country to Shanghai. The People’s Republic of China recently recorded more than 13,000 new corona infections nationwide within one day, around 9,000 of them in Shanghai alone.

Apparently new omicron variant discovered

In addition, the health authorities from the neighboring city of Suzhou reported that they had discovered a new omicron variant that has not yet been recorded in either the Chinese or international virus databases. Details about this new variant are not yet known.