China anger over death of girl, 14, sent to Covid quarantine

The household of a 14-year-old miss successful China who died aft she was enactment successful a Covid quarantine centre are demanding justice, saying their calls for aesculapian assistance were ignored.

Guo JinJin, 14, developed a fever 2 days aft being taken to the centre successful Ruzhou, Henan state past Friday.

Videos of her shaking and convulsing connected a furniture sparked an outcry online successful China which retains strict pandemic controls.

Her household had shared the clips, appealing for assistance and accountability.

Officials contacted by the BBC person yet to remark connected the allegations oregon the origin of Guo Jinjin's death, which remains unclear.

In his video, her begetter Guo Lele said workers astatine the centre had failed to supply immoderate attraction to JinJin arsenic her information worsened.

On Sunday, she had begun to "convulse, dehydrated and shaking", helium said successful a video uploaded to Douyin, China's section mentation of TikTok.

"Health workers astatine the centre took nary attraction of her, nary 1 adjacent inquired," helium said successful the video, which was wide shared earlier censors took it down successful immoderate places.

Mr Guo's video - and different uploaded by JinJin's aunt calling for justness - person been progressively censored successful the past 48 hours.

"I'm requesting the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and Discipline Inspection Commission travel down to analyse the Ruzhou government's neglect... and springiness my daughter's beingness back!" helium said, successful a video which shows him adjacent to his daughter's body.

The BBC has confirmed JinJin's decease and the circumstances surrounding it with a abstracted subordinate of the family.

They confirmed that the ninth-grader's information had swiftly deteriorated connected Monday day and she was taken to Ruzhou No.4 Hospital that evening.

However she was successful a captious information by past and could not beryllium saved.

JinJin's decease and the circumstances surrounding it person triggered an outpouring online, with radical expressing choler implicit her attraction and criticising President Xi Jinping's Covid policies, which are unpopular with galore radical successful China.

"I'm truthful angry. Why didn't they conscionable springiness her a [medicine] pill?" 1 idiosyncratic wrote. Another said: "It's ever similar this. Nothing volition ever change."

However the lawsuit has not been reported successful Chinese media - which immoderate users attributed to a "media blackout" during an important Communist Party legislature this week astatine which Mr Xi's tenure is expected to beryllium extended.

Ruzhou metropolis officials are yet to contented an authoritative comment. A spokesperson told the BBC connected Thursday helium was personally alert of the lawsuit but had nary authoritative remark from his superiors.

Local Communist Party officials besides declined to respond to BBC inquiries, saying: "Please hold for an authoritative announcement."

China's Covid rules request that anyone who is infected, oregon a adjacent contact, indispensable beryllium sent to a state-run quarantine centre.

It's not wide if JinJin had Covid oregon if she had been placed successful the quarantine tract due to the fact that she was a contact.

The comparative said JinJin had been taken to a quarantine centre acceptable up successful a section schoolhouse and placed successful a abstracted gathering to her father. Hundreds of different children are being held successful specified centres crossed the portion - with galore separated from their families.

The BBC has heard from 4 different families who accidental they've been separated from their children - arsenic young arsenic 7 and 8 - who are successful quarantine connected their ain successful assorted facilities.

One mother, a Mrs Lu, told the BBC her 12-year-old lad was frightened and suffering aft days successful a centre.

"My kid tin not basal it immoderate more. They [authorities] are not letting them return. He's specified a tiny kid, helium tin not woody with being unsocial successful 1 country for specified a agelong time," she told the BBC.

Another parent, Mr Zhu, told the BBC helium and different parents were adjacent much alarmed aft proceeding astir JinJin's death.

Parents person told the BBC they are highly acrophobic implicit the conditions and the deficiency of due attraction for minors successful the facilities. Such centres person go known for their deficiency of unit and resources.