- The "false accusations" will have punishments.
- At least six missing and eight injured in an explosion at a chemical plant in China.
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| China will pay 1,400 euros to whoever betrays his neighbor if he suspects he has covid. / Pixabay |
Reporting the neighbor who you suspect has contracted covid-19 and taking 10,000 yuan (1,418 euros, 1,492 dollars) as a reward is part of the practices that are encouraged in China to cut the chain of infections.
The denunciations, at their peak during the years of excesses of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), reach above all in terms of rural China such as Jingxiu county in the northern province of Hebei, neighboring Beijing.
There, its health authorities boasted a few weeks ago of its new "punishment and reward system" for residents to report "those people who have not reported, as required, their entry into the town."
"Whoever gives clues to the Government of suspicious infections and they are finally confirmed as positive cases, will receive a reward of 10,000 yuan," reads one of the circulars from the local authorities.
"You have to look for all those close contacts, the sub-contacts, who should be in isolation and is not or who has entered the county without reporting or without a valid health QR code. If you find them, you will receive your reward", add the text.
The letter focuses on "monitoring" security personnel, doormen of urbanizations, doctors, pharmacists, or officials, as well as being alert in case weddings and funerals are held without warning.
"It is our responsibility"
A few days ago in Chendai, a village in the southeastern province of Fujian, Mr. Xie pocketed 5,000 yuan (709 euros, 746 dollars) for "consolidating the participation of the masses in the fight against covid." Xie denounced his neighbor Huang, who traveled to the town from Foshan in the neighboring Guangdong province by car "without reporting his return."
"There was a risk of transmission and it is our responsibility, our obligation, to provide clues to protect ourselves and others. The awards will inspire the rest to do the same to guarantee the achievements made in the fight against the pandemic," he said. awarded after receiving the reward, according to the local news network.
Huang, on the other hand, was sent to isolation: according to several local governments in China, those who are punished must be held accountable according to the law, which provides for prison terms of up to three years for those who, "in violation of the regulations imposed by the health departments, cause transmission of infectious virus," and three to seven if the spread is severe.
However, for cases such as hiding a travel itinerary, "other public security legislation is applied that includes up to 10 days of administrative detention," explains a local lawyer who is an expert in this matter.
Notice against false claims
But not everything could be punishment, as shown by the retribution received by Mr. Wang for "cooperating with the authorities" by reporting that he was returning to the town on a train that traveled from the eastern province of Jiangsu, then an area considered at risk. The award?. Not having to pay for the quarantine that the authorities demanded upon their return.
Although there are also "false accusations" that officials try to stop by demanding "authenticity" from informants in their accusations.
Those who denounce others in a "malicious" way will be investigated and punished, as happened in April to a resident of eastern Shandong who reported - allegedly, wrongly - positive results in his company, the Huajian Aluminum Industrial Group, and ended up diagnosed with "hallucinations, depression, and anxiety".
An Amnesty International spokesperson indicates that it is not uncommon for the Chinese administration to reward whistleblowing: "These are initiatives, for now, at a very local level. The government should make sure that the accusations are not made inappropriately and that they have a wide scope and time limits. It should also be able to demonstrate whether these measures align with the most up-to-date and scientific standards of human rights."
China, clinging to a strict "zero covid" policy, has been dealing with outbreaks of the Omicron variant for more than three months, with the most serious case illustrated by the confinement of the Shanghai megalopolis (26 million inhabitants) for more than two months.
In Beijing, massive tests, restrictions, and also administrative corrections continue, such as those applied this week to several people for refusing to scan health QR codes or for taking public transport despite receiving a notification that they had to save quarantine in their homes.
In addition to incalculable economic losses and keeping the country closed to the outside for more than two years, the harsh measures have caused visible signs of irritation and discontent in the population in recent months, as the World Health Organization (WHO) pointed out in May that they are unsustainable and recommended a change in strategy.
Chinese government spokesmen, who highlight the superiority of the communist regime in dealing with the pandemic compared to the accumulated death toll in the West, branded the WHO "irresponsible", claiming that the measures taken have managed to save millions of lives.