China's court unveils 4 crimes punishable by death penalty during Coronavirus outbreak

According to the court, the criminal code and Chinese laws envisage 21 crimes related to a virus outbreak, including the four that are punishable by death penalty.

Thus, patients who were tested positive for coronavirus as well as "carriers of the pathogen" who deny quarantine and treatment or voluntarily violate the quarantine regime and visit public places and use public transport may be sentenced to death. Capital punishment is also envisaged for those who were suspected of carrying the coronavirus infection but violated the quarantine regime should these actions lead to the virus’ spread.

Death penalty is also facing those who would deliberately cause serious harm to medical workers or intentionally damage their protective clothing, spit at a medical worker which would lead to the latter contracting the coronavirus.

The same measure may apply to public servants who would abuse office for embezzlement, fraud and misappropriation of goods and money intended for the prevention of the epidemic.

Finally, production and sales of counterfeit or low-quality drugs will be punishable by death penalty.

China has been fighting the new strain of coronavirus – COVID-19 – since December. The virus has already resulted in 1,523 fatalities in China, with over 66,000 people having been infected, and spread to more than 25 countries. Over 1,700 Chinese doctors have been infected with COVID-19, six of them have died.