Six people are being investigated in Shanghai after an elderly nursing home resident was mistakenly pronounced dead, placed in a corpse bag and taken by court officials to a waiting van before morgue staff noticed they were still alive.
The incident, which took place on Sunday afternoon, was filmed by onlookers and footage quickly spread online, provoking a furious reaction in the city, which has been under exhausting blockade for five weeks. This has also raised concerns about the city’s congested medical system.
The footage shows workers in protective clothing pulling a corpse bag from the morgue’s van to a cart. They look inside the bag before realizing that the person inside is alive.
“Alive! Did you see that? Alive! ” says one. “Don’t cover it again!” says another.
One worker goes to talk to people wearing protective suits outside the building, and the elderly patient returns inside.
新 新 长征 福利院 把 还 活着 的 老人 老人 装进 尸 ， ， 要 送去 殡仪馆 火化 ， 被 运 尸体 的 殡仪馆 殡仪馆 工作 人员 发现 “活 的！” 看来 这 是 嫌 上海 老人 死得 死得 是 嫌 ， 烧死 活不算 不算 死于 新 新 就 就。 pic.twitter.com/O6Zn5qV76L
– 方舟子 (@fangshimin) May 1, 2022
The incident was confirmed by the Putuo government, which said investigations had begun. The Shanghai Supervisory Board and the Central Discipline Inspection Commission said five employees, including the director of the nursing home and a doctor, had been removed and investigated. Another local party official was reprimanded.
The Shanghai Xinchangzheng Nursing Home apologized while the funeral home praised its staff for noticing that the man was still alive and rewarded them with 5,000 yuan (£ 600) each.
State media reported that the elderly patient had been transferred to hospital and was in treatment. The incident shocked people in China, where a wave of Omicron has challenged the government’s commitment to zero Covid measures, including strict blockades and mass tests. It also tests the determination and confidence of residents.
“What if this incident is not captured by the citizens of Shanghai?” Said a commentator in a state media report.
“Nursing homes and nursing homes will be the last places for many older people, especially for some lonely elderly people who have no choice,” said another. “Who would dare send their parents to a nursing home now?” And who would dare to live peacefully in a nursing home?
Authorities in Shanghai tried to avoid the blockade, but withdrew their assurances in early April, sending about 25 million people inside. The lockout was affected by problems, including food shortages and supply problems, and sparked protests both online and in people’s homes and streets.
A video of a man who said he was a worker in Shanghai walking down the road to stop a truck and beg for food was also circulated. “People in Shanghai, no one is interested in us. Take care of us! Expose this! Help me find out! I am a worker. I will starve to death! ” he says, according to a translation of the Chuang blog.
A heartbreaking video of a Shanghai worker stopping a truck to reveal his despair and hunger. The man falls apart and cries when he is given bananas and biscuits pic.twitter.com/trNTM9vHzi
– Chuangcn (@chuangcn) May 3, 2022
Authorities said on Saturday that more than 15 million people are now able to leave their communities, with the virus spreading mainly to people in quarantine facilities. On Monday, however, 58 new cases were opened among the free group. Officials did not comment on the new cases, which have sparked fears among some residents of more blockades or delays in reopening the city. On Sunday, Ningbo residents south of Shanghai were told they had to take a negative test every 48 hours if they wanted to use public transportation or enter public places.
In Beijing, authorities are also avoiding mass blockades, instead focusing on frequent testing of millions of people in at least a dozen areas and other austerity measures. Restaurants, entertainment venues and schools were closed, and restrictions on travel to and from the city were imposed before the five-day weekend of May Day. Authorities announced 62 new cases Monday.
In total, China reported 368 confirmed symptomatic cases and 5,647 asymptomatic cases. Most of them – 274 and 5395, respectively – were found in Shanghai. The number of asymptomatic cases found across the country is growing, including dozens in Liaoning, Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Xinjiang.
Additional reports from Chi Hui Lin
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