Police on 24-Hour Shifts Outside Chinese Funeral Parlors: Leaked Document

A mourner carries the cremated remains of a loved one during a funeral in Shanghai, China, in a file photo.Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

Covering up the massive number of fatalities caused by China’s resurging pandemic has become a major task for Beijing’s health officials, as photos in international news media reveal long lines of hearses, makeshift morgues, and body bags lining hospital hallways. A leaked document from the State Council’s health advisory group recently revealed how local governments are enforcing China’s policy of limiting outside access to funeral parlors.

The Epoch Times recently obtained a copy of an internal bulletin circulated by the State Council’s Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism. The notice was marked “no publication.”

The bulletin, dated Jan. 10, contained guidance on blocking access by the media to funeral homes, and gave examples of how local governments are handling this particular issue.

Police on 24-Hour Shifts

Among a number of local government measures, the bulletin revealed that in Jinan, a city in China’s east coast Shandong Province, police are on 24-hour shifts outside funeral parlors.

The document praised such measures, saying they are helpful in“maintaining order and traffic flow” in the event of emergencies and preventing illegal acts by funeral parlor service registration agents, the notice stated.

Funeral homes are a focus of stability maintenance as China reels from the massive outbreak that swept the country after the regime suddenly reversed its zero-COVID policies. Long lines of hearses make funeral homes clear evidence of the scope of the epidemic.

The internal document seems to indicate a massive police presence at China’s funeral homes.

Foreign journalists have reported being pushed away by police and security guards stationed outside of funeral homes.

The Beijing Dongjiao Funeral Parlor, a Beijing crematorium reportedly designated to handle COVID-19 deaths, was one example.

According to a Dec. 19 Bloomberg report, guards pushed journalists to the back of the parking lot, as a line of minivans dropped off bodies, surrounded at one point by what seemed to be mourners or relatives.

The crematorium had drawn attention after workers told foreign media including the Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal that they were overwhelmed with bodies, in stark contrast to Beijing’s claims that it only had two COVID-19 fatalities that weekend.

On Dec. 19, the Beijing Dongjiao Funeral Parlor issued an emergency notice to workers strictly prohibiting them from speaking to the press. In addition, workers were warned against online discussions, data leaks, or photos posted on social media.

In early January, China released an updated death toll that contrasted sharply with previous tallies. Nonetheless, the regime continues to draw criticism for vastly underreporting the scope of the current outbreak.

In a Jan. 22 interview, a New York resident who asked to be identified only as Cheng spoke to The Epoch Times Chinese language edition about the scope of the outbreak. A former Beijing resident who still maintains extensive contacts there, Cheng’s sources tell him there’s a three-month backlog for cremation in the capital city, with one source estimating that an estimated 200,000 bodies are waiting to be cremated.

Fang Xiao contributed to this report.