China is experiencing outrage following reports that police officers paraded four individuals claimed to have violated Covid-19 restrictions around the crowded streets of Jingxi city in the Guangxi province on Wednesday (Dec 29).

The four suspects were dressed in hazmat suits and were carrying placards with their images and names. Either of them was surrounded on each side by two officers.

Additionally, the cops wore white hazmat suits complete with face shields and masks. A larger contingent of officers dressed in black riot gear pursued them across the city.

The four suspects were charged with trafficking illegal migrants despite China's largely restricted borders.

After decades of struggle by human rights groups, China successfully banned the public shaming of criminal defendants in 2010.

Despite this, the epidemic has reintroduced this practice as the country implements a zero-Covid-19 infection policy.

According to Guangxi News, the march served as a "real-life warning" to the public and "deterred border-related crimes."

However, the local government's stance has sparked a reaction.

According to Beijing News, while Jingxi is "under tremendous pressure" to prohibit the importation of Covid-19 cases, "the measure seriously violates the spirit of the rule of law and cannot be allowed to happen again."

In October, online vigilantes named and shamed several Covid-19 patients in China, threatening to reveal their private data during the government's epidemiological inquiry. Gender, age, career, and places visited in the last two weeks are frequently released publicly.