Story By: John Feng, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report
AsiaWire
This is the moment a pregnant Chinese woman without a surgical mask slaps a coronavirus screening worker and kicks him for not letting her and her boyfriend leave their home – with her jailed as a result.
As the Wuhan coronavirus – now given the official name COVID-19 by the World Health Organization (WHO) – continues to surge in mainland China, residents of gated communities remain confined to their homes in a period akin to martial law.
They are allowed to leave only once per day – sometimes once every two days – and must register with officials at checkpoints and also be subject to temperature screenings upon.
Authorities in Jingu District in Luoyang, a city in Central China’s Henan Province, said the couple Mr and Ms Li, aged 38 and 35, did not cooperate with health workers who requested they log their names and ID numbers before leaving their residential district on 10th February.
Footage taken by witnesses at the gate of the community where they live shows Ms Li confronting a coronavirus worker dressed in blue.
Through a series of incoherent slurs and shouting, Ms Li, who is not wearing a mask, is seen pressing her face against the worker.
She then threatens him saying: “I’m pregnant! If I have a miscarriage, that’s on you!”
She then proceeds to slap the man three times across the face as an elderly female relative tries to push her away.
This happens in front of uniformed security guards who reportedly called police, leading to Ms Li’s arrest by officers with Jingu Police Station.
As the video ends, Ms Li is seen kicking the worker in the midriff before being dragged away.
Local police said they jailed the mum-to-be for 10 days, fining her 500 RMB (55 GBP) for assault.
The authorities did not reveal how how far along Ms Li was in her pregnancy.
Tensions are high as major Chinese cities remain on lockdown or high alert, with the death toll from COVID-19 rising to 1,115 worldwide.
There have been more than 44,600 confirmed cases in mainland China as schools remain shut.
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