CLOSE QUARTERS

Babies Forcibly Taken From Parents in China COVID Surge

Some videos posted to Chinese social media show babies crying and packed onto cots.

Shanghai has implemented a strict separation policy between parents and children who test positive for COVID-19 as it undergoes a case surge, forcing some children—as young as infants—to sleep cushioned in cots like sardines. Videos shared on Chinese social media networks Weibo and Douyin show babies crying as they’re packed three to a cot at the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center in Jinshan, according to Reuters, while others depict toddlers crawling unsupervised groaning as beds are pushed against the wall to create more space. It has left some parents—such as Esther Zhao, the mother of a 2-year-old girl who tested positive—outraged, as parents are infrequently updated about their children. “There have been no photos at all... I’m so anxious, I have no idea what situation my daughter is in,” Zhao told Reuters. The Shanghai facility said on its WeChat page that the photos have been misrepresented and that children have received the best care. "Paediatric patients admitted to our hospital... are guaranteed medical treatment and their daily needs taken care of," it said.