Authorities forced dozens to quarantine overnight in a Chinese hotpot restaurant after a COVID-19 case was detected at the location — and the story of one woman’s near-escape from the ordeal has gone viral on Weibo.
According to Orient Today, Henan Province news outletA woman named Wang, was having a late meal at a hotpot restaurant in Zhengzhou with her friends on March 18.
She was followed by her friends, who took off. However, when she finally got up from the table, it was clear that the restaurant was being immediately locked down because of a COVID investigation.
“If I had just left the place one minute earlier, I would have been able to leave,”She told Orient Today that there were about 30 other guests who were in the same situation. “I was just a minute too late.”
She said it wasn’t an awful experience.
“The restaurant kept feeding us free food. At 3 a.m., they made us noodles, and in the morning, they stir-fried some dishes. We could order anything we wanted for hotpot too — I ordered octopus, beef, and noodles,”Wang said so to the outlet. “I ate until I couldn’t move.”
Her story became viral on China’s Twitter-like Weibo platform, where she was accompanied by the hashtag “woman quarantined in hotpot restaurant after leaving one minute later,”More than 420,000,000 views.
Users on social media joked that a hotpot eatery is a great place to quarantine. “If I had to be quarantined, I guess a hotpot restaurant is not so bad. Or maybe a public bathhouse,” One Weibo user shared his opinion.
Wang was allowed out of the restaurant the next morning, but the authorities advised her that she remain at home for 13 days. per Beijing Youth Daily.
China has witnessed a dramatic change in recent months. There has been a national surge in COVID-related casesWith Tens of millions of people As officials pursue a goal, they are kept in tight lockdowns “dynamic zero COVID policy.” That means Rapid lockdown, Mass Testing, and Travel restrictions whenever clusters emerge.
Surprise lockdowns are not uncommon. In January, Beijing Locked down entire office buildingsThere was an Omicron case. The Omicron was discovered by healthcare workers who brought blankets and pillows to the hospital. Employees were then forced to stay in their cubicles for the night. Shanghai Tower, with 128 floors, became the second-tallest building in the World in March. After COVID detection, the emergency lockdown was initiatedWorkers were also forced to stay the night.
