Beijing — Former NBA star Jeremy Lin, who plays for the China team, has been fined 10,000 yuan ($1,400) for “inappropriate remarks” on social media about quarantine facilities before a game. China‘s professional league announced Friday that the government is trying to halt protests against the world’s toughest anti-virus regulations.
Also on Friday, many cities eased restrictions, allowing shopping malls, supermarkets and other businesses to reopen. Other businesses announced they have resumed.
The Chinese Basketball Association said Lin, who plays for the Ron Lions Basketball Club, made “inappropriate remarks about quarantining the hotel-related facilities” where the team stayed before the game on Wednesday. had a negative impact on the
The ruling Communist Party is trying to quell criticism of the human cost and disruption of its “zero COVID” strategy that has kept millions of people at home. Protesters were detained and photos and videos of the event were deleted from Chinese social media. Police spread to Shanghai, Beijing and other cities to try to prevent further protests.
The CBA did not provide details of Lin’s comments, and there were no such indications on his account on the popular Sina Weibo platform.
Shanghai news agency The Paper reported that Lin posted a video ahead of next week’s game complaining about a training facility at a hotel in Zhuji, south of Shanghai, Zhejiang province.
“Can you believe this is the weight room?” Hayashi’s words are quoted. “What kind of garbage is this?” The newspaper said the video was taken down after “it became clear” that the hotel was only for a short stay as required by regulations.
A representative for Vision China Entertainment, who said on its website that he represents Lin, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. but there was no response.
Lynn was born to parents in California. Taiwanwas the first American of Chinese or Taiwanese descent to play in the NBA.
Lynn played for the Golden State Warriors of California in 2010 before joining the New York Knicks for the 2011-12 season. He became the first Asian-American to win his NBA championship with his Raptors in 2019 in Toronto. He played for the Beijing Ducks in 2019 before joining the Lions.
There were no signs of further protests on Friday.
The government reports 34,980 infections found in the last 24 hours, including 30,702 asymptomatic cases.
China has a low number of cases, but “zero COVID” aims to isolate all infected. This prompted local authorities to suspend access to neighborhoods and close schools, shops and offices. Manufacturers, including the largest iPhone factory in central China, use “closed-loop” management that requires employees to live in their workplaces without any outside contact.
Demonstrations erupted on November 25 after a fire in an apartment complex in Urumqi killed at least 10 people.
This sparked angry questions online about whether firefighters and fleeing victims were blocked by locked doors or other antivirus controls. The death became the focus of public discontent.
The Xi Jinping administration has promised to reduce the cost and disruption of controls, but has vowed to maintain a “zero coronavirus” record. Health experts and economists expect this to continue until at least mid-2023 and possibly 2024. Thousands of elderly people are being vaccinated.
Urumqi will “further strengthen its efforts to resume production and commerce” by reopening hotels, restaurants, hypermarkets and ski resorts, official newspaper Guangming News reported on its website, citing the city committee’s decision. Quoting member Sui Rong.
Elsewhere, the city of Hohhot in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region resumed bus services and reopened restaurants and small businesses, according to state media. In the northeastern city of Jinzhou, travel restrictions have been lifted and businesses have been allowed to resume.
On Thursday, supermarkets and restaurants were allowed to reopen in the southern metropolis of Guangzhou, the biggest hotspot of the recent surge in infections.
Other major cities, including Shijiazhuang in the north and Chengdu in the southwest, have resumed bus and subway services and allowed businesses to reopen.
China’s central authorities are trying to curb overzealous local officials who are under intense pressure to push ahead with opening up while preventing new outbreaks.
The People’s Daily, the Communist Party’s official newspaper, said in an editorial on Friday, “Arbitrarily closing schools, suspending classes, suspending work and production, blocking traffic, and implementing quarantine measures without approval is strictly prohibited. It’s forbidden,” he said.
Officials who imposed unauthorized and unrestricted quarantines “will be held strictly accountable in accordance with laws and regulations,” the newspaper said.
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This story corrects that Lin was the first American of Chinese or Taiwanese ancestry to play in the NBA.
