An elderly Shanghai man was mistakenly taken to the morgue in a body bag after being declared dead. Video shows the moment healthcare workers recoil once they realize the man is still alive. The viral footage has sparked outrage.
Posted on Sunday, the video shows the head of the man, a resident at a nursing home, appearing from the yellow body bag as it was lifted from a vehicle by workers.
Apparently, from a nearby building, the person filming the video says, “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.”
Many expressed disbelief that a grave mistake like that could happen, especially in the city of Shanghai, which has long been seen as China’s most progressive and modern city.
“The problems in Shanghai are fully exposed this time,” read one popular comment on Weibo.
“This counts as intentional homicide,” wrote another user.
Others pointed out that the man’s outcome could have been worse if he had not been discovered.
“The government doesn’t care … what is going on in Shanghai?” one comment read.
On Monday, the situation was responded to by district government, saying in a statement the elderly man was now in a stable condition.
Three officials have been removed from the district’s civil affairs bureau and social development office, and the head of the nursing home has also been removed.
According to the state-run Global Times, authorities have also revoked the certification of a doctor who was involved. The doctor is now under investigation.
Since early March, the financial hub has been battling an outbreak of Covid-19 cases. Since March 31, the city has now been under citywide lockdown. It has become the center of China’s wider outbreak, with cases rising and lockdown measures being introduced in numerous cities.
For weeks, the lockdown barred nearly all 25 million residents from leaving their homes or residential compounds. This caused a problem for many residents, with numerous people complaining they were unable to access basic goods like food, water, health products and even medical care for non-Covid emergencies.
Authorities said last week that some neighborhoods could start to ease lockdown measures if they have reported no cases in the past two weeks. This allowed some areas a little freedom within their district.
8.2 million Shanghai residents were still banned from leaving their residential compounds as of Tuesday.