Published 18:59 IST, February 17th 2020
China: Woman dragged out of supermarket for not wearing mask amid coronavirus spread
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has also advised using the mask even if someone is healthy and taking care of a person with symptoms of coronavirus.
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A video of a woman being dragged out of a mall in China for refusing to wear a surgical mask is making rounds on the internet. RT news network uploaded a clip on social media platforms in which the woman was dragged out of the mall but she got up and tried to enter again. Eventually, the woman was taken outside of a supermarket in Longgang, China, by security personnel.
#Coronavirus fear in #China: This woman was dragged from supermarket for refusing to wear face mask pic.twitter.com/c9ZOw1CW6N
— RT (@RT_com) February 16, 2020
Advisory to wear masks
Citizens have been advised to wear masks in public places and wash their hands before eating. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has also advised using the mask even if someone is healthy and taking care of a person with symptoms of coronavirus. However, the netizens were divided over the dragging incident as some of them criticised the way the woman was dragged out while some blamed the woman for not wearing a mask.
“At least wear a mask for everyone else's safety. The incubation period is long enough that no one knows who has it until it's symptomatic,” commented a user on Facebook. “She is educated and right! These masks do not spot the speed of the virus! It is so ridiculous to see people wear them! Total false sense of security!” commented another user. Check some other reactions:
Masks don’t work!
— M.K. Tovsrüd (@Myls_90) February 16, 2020
Medical masks attract particles in the air and make it more likely to contract the virus. Masks are for sick people. It helps ensure they don’t infect other people around them.
That's so terrifying. Restraining individual freedom is more terrifying than coronavirus.
— Alexrak (@CireHood) February 16, 2020
According to the latest report, 2,048 new cases of coronavirus infections and 105 more deaths have been confirmed, taking the total death toll because of the deadly virus to 1,770. While most of the cases are from Hubei province of China and the city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, other countries, including Japan and the Philippines, have also now reported deaths related to COVID-19.
18:59 IST, February 17th 2020