Before you read:

• China’s lack of transparency on COVID outbreak sparks international concern
• US announces negative COVID test requirement for travelers from China
• COVID cases skyrocket in China following easing of zero-COVID policy

Families in China are resorting to unauthorized cremations on streets as hospitals and funeral homes are overcrowded due to the spiraling COVID-19 surge. 

After China terminated most COVID-19 restrictions last month in response to protests, the virus has been spreading at an uncontrollable rate. Beijing has confessed that tracking the outbreak’s magnitude is no longer feasible, reported the AFP news agency. 

Multiple videos have been posted online showing mourning families carrying out makeshift cremations outside apartment complexes and in parking lots. 

Mourners can be seen burning joss paper and flowers while weeping next to covered bodies in Shanghai. 

小区内烧尸体？ pic.twitter.com/ykl8TMeDpi

— yu （日本东京星辰） (@YK643590) December 31, 2022

#CHINA: The #COVID outbreak is reportedly forcing people to burn the bodies of their families members on the streets as a result of emergency services and crematoriums’ inability to accommodate the mass numbers of deceased. Heartbreaking. pic.twitter.com/Q5TYcG5VJG

— Igor Sushko (@igorsushko) January 3, 2023

I’ve seen quite a few similar videos, but haven’t posted any until now. Given what we learned from other sources about how difficult & expensive to cremate a body in a #crematorium in #CCPChina, I’m not surprised if someone in the countryside chose to do this.#ChinaCovidDeaths pic.twitter.com/hxhGdhPriS

— Inconvenient Truths by Jennifer Zeng 曾錚真言 (@jenniferzeng97) January 3, 2023

One funeral home in Shanghai was permitting families only five to 10 minutes after hours of waiting to pay their respects due to the overwhelming demand for funeral services. Longhua Funeral Home usually handles around 100 corpses per day but received around five times as many in one day, according to Bloomberg.

Scalpers without any need for funeral services began waiting in long lines outside funeral homes as early as 2 a.m. just to sell their spots to desperate families hours later. 

This is not a #BlackFriday rush. This is at #Suzhou Funeral Home, at 6am on Dec 30, 2022, people rushed to get a number as soon as the Funeral Home opened for registration. These ppl had been waiting since 9:00 pm on the previous night.
#ChinaCovidSurge #ChinaCovidDeaths pic.twitter.com/vsh6h4HFOL

— Inconvenient Truths by Jennifer Zeng 曾錚真言 (@jenniferzeng97) January 3, 2023

At Zhangjiagang, Suzhou City crematorium. Early in the morning, long line of funeral cars queuing. This is already 1 km away from the crematorium. #CCPChina #ChinaCovidCases #ChinaCovidDeaths #ChinaCovidSurge pic.twitter.com/LHM1Yko8Z0

— Inconvenient Truths by Jennifer Zeng 曾錚真言 (@jenniferzeng97) January 3, 2023

“The whole system is paralyzed right now,” an employee at the Shanghai crematorium told Bloomberg.

In Beijing, emergency hotlines have been receiving more than 30,000 calls per day for weeks, according to Beijing Daily. 

Other countries are beginning to place more stringent travel restrictions in place for inbound travelers from China. 

Morocco has banned all flights from China, while the U.S. and Japan now require negative COVID-19 tests upon arrival. 

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning responded to these targeted restrictions by stating that China believes such measures are “disproportionate and simply unacceptable.”

“Meanwhile, we do not believe the entry restriction measures some countries have taken against China are science-based,” Ning stated in a press conference on Tuesday. “We firmly reject using COVID-19 measures for political purposes and will take corresponding measures in response to varying situations based on the principle of reciprocity.”

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