SICK LEAVE

A woman known as Ah Fen went viral for sleeping in the public restrooms of a Shanghai railway station since early June, and mainly subsisting on cheap bread, due to companies not wanting to hire her as she had previously tested positive for Covid-19.

Many jobless migrant workers in Shanghai have reported being rejected for positions if they have previously tested positive or worked in makeshift Covid hospitals, with recruiters alleging this was a common “unwritten rule” in many factories and small businesses. Some public places have even banned entry—foshan Grand Theater in Guangdong province came under fire in July for denying access to recovered patients.

The Shanghai government declared on July 11 that all departments should treat recovered patients equally, without discrimination. Two days later, the State Council said discrimination against hiring recovered patients was forbidden. After the report went viral, Ah Fen finally found a job in a courier company on July 12.