China: Thousands arrested for epidemic-related crimes since January

Since January, nearly 5,800 people have been arrested in China for virus-related crimes like killing of health workers, selling defective medical equipment and lying about their travel history, said the state prosecutor’s office. According to the reports, 1 case involved the killing of a customer who reminded a shopkeeper to wear a mask. There are also cases that involve deliberate killings of medical workers. Reports suggest that 1 health worker was killed with a car while another case involved stabbing a health inspector with a dagger when monitoring temperatures.

Crimes increase amid pandemic

According to the reports, the Supreme People's Procuratorate on August 27 said in a statement that from the month of January to July a total of 5,797 people were arrested and 6,755 were prosecuted. There are people who have also been accused of embezzling money collected from fundraisers to help coronavirus patients. As per reports, China has a total number of 85,048 cases with 4,634 casualties. China has brought the virus under control and it is now slowly easing restrictions. China has not reported any locally transmitted infections in recent days.

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The health authorities in the capital city of China have asked people to go mask-free further relaxing the coronavirus lockdown restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of novel coronavirus. According to the state media, a lot of people said that wearing masks made them feel safer and others said social pressures to wear the masks were also a factor. As per the reports, this is the second time the health authorities in Beijing have eased restrictions on wearing masks in the city which has returned to normalcy after months of strict lockdown.

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Following a months-long shutdown, Wuhan, the worst-hit in China, will reopen all its schools and kindergartens on September 1. The Chinese local authorities made the announcement on August 29. As per reports, the schools and kindergartens will reopen with measures and health guidelines in place. The authorities have reportedly asked students to wear masks to and from school and have also suggested to avoid public transportation if possible. The authorities have also made emergency plans to switch back to online teaching if risk levels change. 

Read: COVID-19: Beijing Allows People To Go Mask-free As Cases Drop In China

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