Footage has appeared online showing Chinese officials in hazmat (hazardous material) suits, forcibly removing people suspected of having the coronavirus from their homes.
One clip shared online shows a man, wearing only a pair of jeans, lying down on the ground while men in white hazmat suits surround him. The officials attempt to pick him up off the floor and drag him away.
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The clip was shared on Twitter by Radio Free Asia and was reportedly filmed in Kunshan, Jiangsu.
A translated version of the post reads: "[Residents of Kunshan, Jiangsu refused to be quarantined] [Forcibly taken away by staff members] Online circulated clips, a group of personnel wearing protective clothing of 'Kunshan City Governance' went to a household to persuade the residents to prepare for packing to be isolated, but the head of household refused to co-operate.
"The staff then entered the house and took the residents one by one and sent them to the ambulance. The male head of the household questioned the staff members for breaking the law and fiercely resisted. During this period, the staff members' protective clothing was broken and they tried to hide under the car."
Others have shared similar videos in response, purportedly showing more people being forcefully taken from their homes to enter quarantine.
The virus originated in Wuhan in China, where residents are now quarantined in 'warlike conditions', according to The Guardian.
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Authorities are going door-to-door to check residents' temperatures and are 'rounding up' anyone suspected of having the virus in 'forcible quarantine in stadiums and exhibition centres',tThe New York Times reports.
The coronavirus death toll has hit 724, with all but two of those deaths taking place in mainland China.
Thousands of other cases of the virus have been confirmed - among them are five Brits who are in France.
The British nationals reportedly contracted the potentially deadly virus after staying in the same ski chalet as a man who caught it in Singapore.
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French health minister Agnes Buzyn said: "That original case was brought to our attention last night - it is a British national who had returned from Singapore where he had stayed between January 20 and 23, and he arrived in France on January 24 for four days.
"Their clinical condition shows no sign of seriousness."
Featured Image Credit: Twitter
Topics: World News