An elderly man in Shanghai experienced what many have nightmares about when he was declared dead by mistake and taken to the morgue in a body bag.
The incident was caught on camera by a bystander and shows the workers' shock when they discovered that one of the bags contained a man who was still alive.
As China continues to push toward its zero-COVID policy, the city of Shanghai remains in a government-enforced lockdown, and many have criticized the dysfunction happening in the country.
The video has circulated online, going viral since it was posted to Chinese social media sites on Sunday, showing the man's head pop straight up after workers lifted the bag from a vehicle.
The man was a resident at a nursing home, and in the video, someone is heard saying, "The nursing home is such a mess. They sent a living person on a hearse and said they were dead. The undertaker staff said they were still moving ... It is irresponsible, really irresponsible."
The district government responded to the outrage seen on Chinese social media platforms by saying that the man was now in stable condition.
But, on top of that, they have also taken action against the workers, with three officials at the district's civil affairs bureau and social development office being removed and the head of the nursing home the man was at being fired.
The doctor involved in pronouncing the man dead is now under investigation and has had his certification revoked, the state-run Global Times reported.
Shanghai has been under lockdown for weeks, with almost 25 million residents unable to leave their homes or residential compounds.
This has left many without basic necessities like food, health products, and water. Authorities have started to allow residents back out of their homes, but only if their neighborhoods could show they haven't reported COVID cases within the past two weeks.
As of Tuesday, upwards of 8.2 million residents in Shanghai are still not allowed to leave their residential compounds.
Related
