New Zealand has joined other countries in seeking reassurance from China that parents will be able to stay with their children during COVID isolation periods amid reports young kids are being made to isolate away from their families.
Most of Shanghai is currently in the depths of a lockdown as China marches forward with its zero-tolerance approach to COVID-19. With testing now mandatory, more than 13,000 new asymptomatic cases were recorded on Monday (local time) and authorities extended restrictions until further notice.
Part of the response requires anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 to be isolated from the non-infected, which includes separating children from their parents.
That's come under fire in China, with reports of parents angry they are being separated from their offspring. The New York Times has reported photos and videos showing young children crying in hospital cribs parked in a health centre's hallway.
The policy has been confirmed by a Shanghai health commission official who said it was critical to prevention and control work. Any parents who also tested positive could remain with their children, she said.
But the measure has now caught the ire of the international community.
Reuters reports British and French consulates in China wrote to the Chinese Foreign Ministry last week on the behalf of a number of nations - including New Zealand - about the separations.
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The media outlet says France requested "that under no circumstances should parents and children be separated", while the British embassy said it was concerned by the policy and wanted assurances that it would not happen with diplomatic staff.
New Zealand has confirmed its involvement.
"New Zealand has joined a number of representations to authorities in China regarding aspects of China's COVID-19 response," a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade told Newshub.
"We have reaffirmed our support for China's COVID-mitigation policies recognising that these are challenging times, while raising some specific issues.
"This has included seeking reassurance regarding the ability of a parent to accompany a child during COVID-related isolation, treatment or testing.
"Our Embassy and Consulates in China are available to provide consular services to New Zealand citizens."
Others reported by Reuters to support the message include Norway, Switzerland, and Australia.
One case of a child being separated from her mother is documented by the New York Times. The mother felt unwell in late March and visited Shanghai Tongren hospital with her young child. She tested positive and was separated from her daughter, who was subsequently transferred to a centre in the district of Jinshan without her. She wasn't able to contact her child for days.
The conditions at the centre were "totally inhumane", the mother said.
"The doctor sent me a video at noon today," the mother said on Saturday (local time). "In the whole room, there was only one nurse, but I saw around 10 minors."
The centre told the NYT that the children were being moved to another site.
A similar story appeared in a Reuters story, in which a mother said she received no photos of her two-year-old child who was staying in a medical centre without her.
"I'm so anxious, I have no idea what situation my daughter is in. The doctor said Shanghai rules is that children must be sent to designated points, adults to quarantine centres and you're not allowed to accompany the children."
Thousands of Chinese military personnel and medics have been deployed to the financial hub to help with the COVID-19 response. It's the largest response in China since the initial lockdown in Wuhan in early 2020.
