2 women punished for violating pandemic control rules in Guangzhou

Two women in south China's Guangzhou, the epicenter of the ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks, have been punished by police after they violated pandemic control rules when they tried to force their way through a village checkpoint, police said yesterday.

The pair, both 23-year-old from the northeastern Heilongjiang Province, tried to break through the checkpoint at Luntou Village in Haizhu District on November 17.

One of them was not wearing a mask, and both had yellow health codes as they hadn't taken PCR tests since October 30.

They ignored persuasions from pandemic control workers, verbally abused them and disturbed public order, police said.

They were subdued by people at the scene and pandemic prevention staff members.

They were given administrative penalties. The two sides have reached an understanding after police education.

Haizhu District has been worst hit by the coronavirus, accounting for more than 95 percent of COVID-19 cases in Guangzhou.

Guangzhou, the capital city of Guangdong Province, saw 8,715 new infections yesterday while the entire province, a major manufacturing hub, had 8,890 new cases.

There are three types of administrative punishment: a warning, a fine of up to 200 yuan (US$28) and detention of up to 15 days.