Distressing audio of a woman welded into her home by Beijing Covid officials and begging to be released after her mother had jumped to her death has sparked fury in China.
The 29-year-old’s desperate appeal came after her mother, named as 55-year-old Mrs Wang, had plunged from the window of the home they shared in apparent despair over the brutal lockdown conditions they were facing in the city of Hohhot, inner Mongolia.
The region has been in the grip of a major Covid outbreak since late September, when a new Omicron variant was first detected and the gates to Mrs Wang’s residential building were locked from the outside with residents unable to open them from the inside.
Mrs Wang had anxiety disorder and had allegedly taken prescription drugs for her condition since 2019.
Her daughter had expressed concerns to the property manager on the morning of November 4 that her mother was having a mental breakdown and contacted again as her condition worsened.
What’s on Weibo reported that when the daughter asked the building manager to call the emergency hotline, he said: ‘call them yourself, I’m busy.’
No one came to check on Mrs Wang or her daughter. Mrs Wang jumped from the bedroom window of her apartment after her daughter went into the living room to charge her phone.
Audio footage of the woman’s daughter went viral on Chinese social media, banging on the gate and begging community workers to unseal her mother’s door and help her.
The daughter shouted: ‘Open the gate, open the gate! I’m begging you, please’, according to CNN.
She called for the property manager to open the barrier gates and when they were eventually opened, first responders found the daughter next to her mother’s body.
Authorities admitted that their zero Covid lockdown protocols delayed their emergency response.
The 55-year-old, Mrs Wang, lived with her 29-year-old daughter in a residential building in Hohhot, inner Mongolia, that was completely shut down due to Covid. She jumped to her death after her daughter made repeated calls for help as her mental health deteriorated on November 4
Audio footage of the woman’s daughter went viral on Chinese social media, banging on the gate and begging community workers to unseal her mother’s door and help her
The video has drawn attention to the mental health crises exacerbated by weeks in lockdowns
Authorities admitted that their zero Covid lockdown protocols delayed their emergency response. Pictured: Apartment blocks in the area after the incident
A clip was later posted online of officials disinfecting the area with chemicals
Wuhan subway passenger covers herself in plastic bag so she can eat a banana without breaking Covid rules
A hungry passenger who wanted to eat a banana on a subway in Wuhan covered herself in a giant plastic bag so she would avoid bending Covid rules.
The woman was seen eating the banana before putting the peel into another small plastic bag that she had bought with her.
Footage of the unusual incident was taken by another passenger called Wang.
He was bemused and wondered at first if the woman was dressed up in a Halloween costume.
But it then dawned on him that although it was around the same time, people are currently not allowed to take off masks to eat on public transport due to COVID rules.
Speaking about the video he said: ‘There are restrictions because of coronavirus outbreaks, but nevertheless even during an outbreak it seemed a bit extreme for the woman to go to this length to have a snack.’
After the video went viral online, a spokesman for the city’s Metro said: ‘We would like to remind people that eating on trains in Wuhan like in other Chinese cities is not allowed.
‘We urge anybody who spots something like this to call our hotline and staff will attend to the matter.’
The woman eats a banana on the train
The video has drawn attention to the mental health crises exacerbated by weeks in lockdowns.
One comment on Weibo said: ‘Who has the right to weld building gates shut? Who has the right to weld building gates shut?
‘Who has the right to restrict others’ freedom to live? What if there is an earthquake or fire, who is responsible afterwards?’
A clip was later posted online of officials disinfecting the area with chemicals.
Officials have vowed to punish community workers who forcibly seal household doors and building gates with locks, despite it being widespread practice in areas that are locked down.
It came days after a toddler in Lanzhou, northwest China’s Gansu province, died of carbon monoxide poisoning after the slow response of emergency medical services delayed hospital treatment.
In a viral social media post that was later deleted, the boy’s father blamed lockdown controls and community workers for obstructing their access to hospital, while district authorities later apologised for the incident.
Despite the zero-Covid policy and militant lockdowns grinding the country to a halt, China today reported its highest daily Covid caseload.
The country today logged more than 5,600 cases, almost half were in Guangdong province, a manufacturing hub in the country’s south home to major ports.
Beijing over the weekend quashed hopes that its strict zero-Covid policy – in which spot lockdowns, quarantines and mass testing are employed to quash outbreaks – might be relaxed anytime soon.
However, the continued lockdowns have caused scandals, with residents complaining of inadequate conditions, food shortages and delayed emergency medical care.
A gruelling lockdown at the biggest iPhone factory in the world, based in Zhengzhou, has impacted production of Apple products temporarily, meaning that customers would experience delays in receiving their orders.
Yesterday, Apple said in a statement: ‘The facility is currently operating at significantly reduced capacity.’
Foxconn, Apple’s principal subcontractor which runs the plant, revised down its quarterly earnings forecast today due to the lockdown.
China’s National Health Commission vowed Saturday to ‘unswervingly’ stick to zero-Covid, dashing a major stock market rally last week on the back of unsubstantiated rumours that Beijing would imminently loosen its strict virus policy.
A woman lowers her mask to get swabbed for COVID test in Beijing yesterday
A woman wearing a face mask uses an iPhone as she walks on a street in Beijing today
A gruelling lockdown at the biggest iPhone factory in the world, based in Zhengzhou, has impacted production of Apple products temporarily, meaning that customers would experience delays in receiving their orders. Pictured: An apple store in Beijing
Apple warns of delays for latest iPhone 14 models after Chinese locked down area surrounding huge factory over Covid fears
Tech giant Apple has warned that the latest iPhone 14 models could be delayed after the area surrounding the huge factory in China was locked down over Covid fears.
In an announcement on Sunday, the company said that the factory operated by Foxconn in Zhengzhou is ‘operating at significantly reduced capacity.’
The company said: ‘We now expect lower iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max shipments than we previously anticipated.
‘Customers will experience longer wait times to receive their new products.’
Foxconn had earlier imposed anti-Covid measures on the factory after outbreaks of the virus.
Previously, Apple and Foxconn had not responded to questions about how iPhone production might be affected.
Access to the industrial zone where the factory is located was last week suspended for seven days after a surge in infection and the departure of workers from the factory.
It is expected that the plant will be further disrupted due to the lockdown, after seeing a spate of coronavirus infections and an exodus of workers in recent weeks.
Some of the workers who left the factory had fled the area on foot.
In a statement, Foxconn said that it is revising its outlook for this quarter downward due to the lockdown.
The company said: ‘Foxconn is now working with the government in a concerted effort to stamp out the pandemic and resume production to its full capacity as quickly as possible.’
It also said that the provincial government has said it will ‘fully support’ Foxconn in managing the plant’s pandemic prevention and operation situation.
On the Zhengzhou plant’s WeChat social media account yesterday, the company posted that a ‘closed loop’ system would restrict its employees travel between their dormitories and the factory area to manage risks of COVID-19 transmission.
Typically, the last quarter of the year is a busy season for companies such as Foxconn as they ramp up production ahead of the end of year holiday rush.
Apple said: ‘We are working closely with our supplier to return to normal production levels while ensuring the health and safety of every worker.’
In a statement, Foxconn said that it is revising its outlook for this quarter downward due to the lockdown. The company said: ‘Foxconn is now working with the government in a concerted effort to stamp out the pandemic and resume production to its full capacity as quickly as possible.’ Pictured: The Foxconn factory in May (file image)