Israeli Consul General Recounts Being Held in Prison-Like COVID Hospital in China

Israel’s consul general in Shanghai, Edward Shapira, was held in a medical facility for COVID patients for 10 days after contracting the virus.

“The problem is that it caught me in the most wrong place on earth—in China,” Shapira said on his Facebook page on Dec. 3.

“Nothing prepares you for the experience,” he wrote, even though he had dealt with COVID-19-related issues for over 2 years.

‘Conditions Reminiscent of a Prison’

Shapira, who only suffered from mild symptoms, mentioned how he was still trying to recover from what he had gone through being held in “conditions reminiscent of a prison” during “the 10 most bizarre days imaginable” he wrote.

“Not recommended for those suffering from claustrophobia and basically for anyone!”

Shapira said the days passed in anticipation of two negative results with a difference of 24 hours between the tests, all while being held in a room between two hallways, “a kind of aquarium, two single beds, two automatic doors that open with remote control and a small window-like opening for a ‘food’ tray.”

Shapira noted how in China they take the cases of infection very seriously as if nothing has been learned in the last three years.

He added how they still insist on completely separating those who have been exposed to COVID-positive individuals while “the patients themselves are hospitalized in designated hospitals.”

Shapira did not reply to a request for comment.

Emmanuel Nahshon, deputy director general for public diplomacy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel said in an email to The Epoch Times that they do not comment on it since “This is a private post on Facebook.”

‘Demand Freedom’

Protests erupted in Shanghai and on university campuses across the country in late November, with crowds calling for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its top leader to step down, in a rare display of public dissent that the country hasn’t seen in decades.

The latest wave of widespread anger, from the capital of Beijing to the southern city of Nanjing, occurred after massive protests broke out in the far west region of Xinjiang, where strict COVID-19 curbs were blamed for 10 deaths and nine injuries in a high-rise apartment fire in Urumqi, the region’s capital city.

Local authorities denied the accusation.

In Shanghai, crowds of demonstrators gathered for a vigil at Wulumuqi Middle Road, a street named after Urumqi, late on Nov. 26, according to online videos and attendees.

“Demand freedom!” People could be heard shouting in multiple videos, which were widely circulated on the county’s social media before being taken down.

“Xi Jinping,” a man chanted in a video. “Step down!” more followed.

“Communist Party,” some shouted; “Step down!” others responded.

They repeated the chants while people could be seen holding blank white paper or recording the scene with their phones in the footage.

Dorothy Li and Sophia Lam contributed to this report.