Lockdown in Xi’an
China: Hospital rejects pregnant women without a valid corona test – the child dies
The Chinese metropolis of Xi’an has been in lockdown since January 23
© Zhang Bowen / Picture Alliance
Merciless lockdown in the Chinese city of Xi’an: A hospital did not want to treat a heavily pregnant woman because her corona test had expired. The incident has personnel consequences.
The Chinese metropolis of Xi’an has been in a tough lockdown for two weeks. 13 million inhabitants: the inside is almost completely sealed off from the outside world: most shops are closed, shopping is only allowed every three days. Most recently, the rules have been tightened even further: Many residents have been told that they can only leave the house to be tested for the corona virus.
The radical measures apparently also resulted in a pregnant woman not receiving medical care and thereby losing her child. As reported by “Sup China”, citing posts on Chinese social media platforms, the pregnant woman was turned away by the local hospital on New Year’s Day because she could not produce a valid corona test. The submitted test had expired a few hours earlier.
Hospital fires executives
The woman then started bleeding in front of the entrance to the hospital and gave birth to the child. The baby died shortly after birth. The pregnant woman’s sister-in-law published the case – including pictures of the bleeding woman – on the Chinese social media app Weibo. The mail spread quickly and caused great resentment among the Chinese population.
The hospital has drawn conclusions from the incident: the general manager was suspended for failure to provide assistance, the heads of the outpatient department and the medical department were dismissed. In addition, according to the deputy mayor, hospitals are no longer allowed to refuse patients due to Covid-19 measures if they can present a negative test that is at least 48 hours old.
Lockdown in Xi’an: Anger among the population is growing
The lockdown in Xi’an has been in effect since December 23rd and should only be lifted when there are no more infections. The number of new infections is now falling, but the end of the measures is not yet in sight. In the meantime, the situation in the metropolis is worsening: many residents have hardly any food supplies left, and it is difficult for the authorities to supply the population. Many citizens now trade cigarettes or technical devices for food.
In the past few days, many residents of Xi’an vent their anger on social media. The government is also reacting to this: Posts relating to the corona measures will be censored in the future, the city administration announced, according to “Radio Free Asia” – in particular “negative reports”. China pursues a zero covid policy and locks down entire megacities with just a few new infections. The authorities are determined to contain the virus, especially before the start of the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing at the beginning of February.
Sources: “Sup China” / “Radio Free Asia” / “South China Morning Post”