Ex-prison inmate infected with coronavirus travels from Wuhan to Beijing
- Investigation under way as to how Huang Dengying was allowed to leave city that has been under lockdown for over a month
- On her release, woman’s family were not even told she was suffering with a fever, relative says
According to the Beijing Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the woman – which it identified only by her surname Huang – was diagnosed with Covid-19 on Monday, but had been known to have had a fever and a sore throat since last week.
A source from Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, said the patient was Huang Dengying, a 61-year-old former official in Xuanen county who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2013 for taking bribes, but released early on February 17.
The Hubei provincial government has launched an investigation into the case.
Meanwhile, a team of officials from various central government ministries, including the police and procuratorate, was sent to Hubei on Thursday to launch its own investigation.
According to the disease control centre, Huang’s family drove from Beijing to Wuhan to pick her up after she was released.