In China, Covid-positive children separated from their parents

Containment continues in Shanghai, faced with the wave of the Omicron variant. Tuesday April 5, 13,000 new cases were detected. The already very strict quarantine imposed on people who tested positive took on a new dimension with the separation of infected children from their parents. The video of very young patients crying in a hospital caused controversy, notably leading to the publication of a petition against this practice. But the authorities assume this policy of separation as part of their “zero Covid” strategy.

A system that required the establishment of huge field hospitals and quarantine centers with very Spartan living conditions. “If our children test positive, they will be separated from us. It creates a very strong anxiety in everyone”, testified a French mother established in Shanghai. However, some quarantine centers would now allow parents to accompany their sick children “at their own risk”.