In a Monday statement, Chinese officials admitted to, and apologized for, breaking into 84 apartments on July 10 to search for people who either tested positive for COVID-19 or were close contacts on July 10. Guangzhou authorities issued the rare apology after facing widespread backlash on social media from residents who felt violated by the break-ins and even claimed their locks were broken. In the statement, city officials said the break-ins were not the appropriate way to conduct the search and that residents would have their locks fixed and be financially compensated an unspecified amount. Because of China’s zero-tolerance COVID-19 policy, anyone who tests positive or is deemed a close contact has to quarantine in government facilities for several days. Government officials also described the break-ins, which occurred in one residential building, as “simple and crude” and “deeply distressing,” promising to investigate and punish those responsible.
