Story By: John Feng, Sub-Editor:  Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report

AsiaWire

This is the moment seen nearly 17 million times online that an overjoyed Chinese homeowner does a little dance and punches the air in excitement as medics finally end 14 days of mandatory isolation inside his flat.

Quarantined homeowner Mr Zhang underwent a compulsory period of isolation for two weeks and was finally given the all-clear to leave his home on 12th February.

It was not revealed why he had been given 14 days of mandatory quarantine, but it is typically used for people who have either returned recently from Wuhan or who have had contact with someone from the area.

He lives in a gated residential community in Wuxi’s Liangxi District, which is in East China’s Jiangsu Province, and had to rely on door-to-door deliveries in order to get his hands on daily necessities such as food and water.

Video shows Mr Zhang punching the air with joy and spinning around as he does a celebratory dance to mark the end of his quarantine period.

Two medics in full hazmat suits wait for Mr Zhang to sign his release form as he screams: “Yes! I’m going downstairs to run a few laps!”

One of the medical workers reminds him: “It’s best not to go out too often.”

Mr Zhang adds: “But I can run a few laps downstairs, right?”

The medic nods.

Mr Zhang, who teaches street dance and emceeing, has since spawned a hashtag reading ‘man dances at end of quarantine’, which has over 51 million social media impressions to date.

He told local media: “I keep being asked why I was dancing like that.

“I don’t think that was a dance. It was just a natural expression of self.”

Besides constantly monitoring his condition, medical workers also helped Mr Zhang with his shopping and household waste, the homeowner revealed.

Mr Zhang added: “I really did go downstairs and run a few laps. I also kicked around my football.”

Countless residents remained on lockdown and isolated in their homes as the novel coronavirus – now officially known as COVID-19 – continues to surge in China.

The death toll of COVID-19 has reached 1,874, with all but five occuring in the Chinese mainland.

Meanwhile, there have been 73,335 confirmed cases worldwide.

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