‘I had Covid for a day’: Chinese singer who deliberately infected herself to avoid missing her New Year’s Eve concert sorry after backlash
- A famous singer is embroiled in scandal after admitting she infected herself with Covid to avoid missing a concert
- Following a public outcry, Jane Zhang deleted her controversial posts and made a public apology
A famous Chinese singer who caused public outcry after admitting on social media that she deliberately infected herself with the coronavirus by seeing friends who had tested positive has apologised.
Beijing singer Jane Zhang Liangying said on Weibo last week that she had visited the homes of “sheep” – a colloquial term for virus carriers in mainland China – in preparation for an upcoming New Year's Eve concert. Zhang said she wanted to catch the virus so that she would not be at risk of infection when the concert is held at the end of December.
The 38-year-old has been a popular music star in China for nearly two decades after she won a national singing contest in 2005. Dubbed the “Dolphin Princess”, she is known for her signature whistle register and has 43 million followers on Weibo.
“I’ve been prepared for being infected,” Zhang wrote. “Then I began to catch a fever, my throat began to ache, my nose began to ache, my whole body began to ache, my head began to ache … before I finally fell asleep.
“After sleeping for a day and a night, all my symptoms disappeared … I just drank plenty of water and took vitamin C, without taking any medicine before I got well,” she added.
Zhang also shared details on her exercise workouts while infected and then asked for advice on whether her short period of illness would be considered a positive case.
“I am not sure if it’s appropriate to ask, but does my case with symptoms lasting for only one day count as a [coronavirus] positive case?” she asked on Weibo on Friday.
The posts have angered many on social media, who criticised her for irresponsible behaviour and misleading the public.
“I don’t understand why she is so insensitive. As a public figure, how could she say this? She is encouraging people to get infected, which is not OK,” wrote one person on Douyin.
“It’s risky for a person with Covid to do physical exercises. Zhang Liangying doesn’t even have this common sense,” said another commenter.
Following the public outcry, Zhang deleted the controversial posts and issued an apology online where she sought to explain her reasons for seeking out the virus.
“I didn’t consider things carefully before making my previous posts. I apologise to the public,” she wrote on Weibo.
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“All my friends, family and colleagues have caught the coronavirus, but I wasn’t infected yet. I was worried that if I got infected when the concert was held, it would increase the risk of my colleagues being infected again,” Zhang explained.
“So I was thinking that since it is an inevitable thing, why not get ill now when I don’t need to leave home so that I can go to work after I recover? It would be safer for all of us.”
Zhang said she realised her posts were inappropriate after reading online comments.
“We should still pay attention to virus prevention ... Avoiding the initial spike of infections can prevent overwhelming medical facilities,” she wrote.
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Some internet users, however, sided with Zhang.
“You just did what many coronavirus-negative people want to do. Next time, please remember just to do it, but not say it publicly,” commented one user.
Another said: “Sister, we totally understand you. You are not wrong. You are always my most loved singer.”
