Shanghai morgue workers found the man in a body bag and opened it to discover that he was still alive.

After being circulated online, a video of two staff members in full protective suits and carrying a yellow bag from a hearse has caused outrage in China

As the bag is opened, workers can be heard scream in shock.

“Alive! “Alive!” Did you see it? Alive!” One of the workers can be heard saying it.

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“Do not cover him again!” Another.

After Sunday’s discovery, the man was immediately returned to his nursing home.

An onlooker recorded the incident and can be heard saying, “The nursing home is such an awful mess.”

“They sent a living person in a hearse, and claimed they were dead. They were moving… It’s irresponsible, it is really irresponsible.”

The identity of the man has not been revealed.

The Shanghai district government confirmed that the incident had occurred and stated that five officials were punished and the license of a doctor was revoked.

Putuo district government, which is home to the nursing home, stated in a statement that the patient in the video was receiving treatment at hospital and had stabilized vital signs.

This incident caused anger on Chinese social media with many questioning the reliability and legitimacy of the social welfare system in China during prolonged lockdown.

Continue reading: Was China’s Shanghai lockdown a reaction?

In one of Shanghai’s makeshift quarantine centers

As part of China’s strict zero COVID policy, 26 million residents were subject to harsh lockdown measures. These restrictions prohibited people from leaving their homes and forced them to rely on the government for food delivery.

Additional measures included fences up to 2m high that were placed around housing blocks.

The Shanghai authorities are gradually easing the lockdown restrictions that were in place for the entire city at April’s beginning.

The government announced Friday that 12.38 million Shanghai residents, almost half of China’s financial center population, now live in areas with lower risk. They can leave their homes.

According to the local government, 32 COVID deaths were reported in the city on Sunday, compared with 38 on Monday.

According to the authority, there were 6,606 new cases of local asymptomatic coronavirus in Shanghai on Sunday compared with 7,084 the day before.