Shanghai Sharks MC fired for comparing quarantine hotel to jail

Not taking the coronavirus outbreak seriously has cost another foreigner his job in China.
The Shanghai Sharks have fired the team’s British in-game host after he made public comments criticizing the conditions of the hotel where he had been quarantined.
On March 18, Jayme Lawman, known in Chinese as Luo Sijie, took to Weibo to complain about his experience of arriving back in Shanghai.
Lawman first griped about receiving no hot meals on the plane before going on to compare the experience of staying in the hotel where he had been quarantined along with his daughter to being in prison, writing that there was only spicy cup noodles and bottled water in their room upon arrival.
“I wonder if I’ve mistakenly flown to North Korea,” he wrote in Chinese.
Lawman went on to delete and apologize for the posts, explaining that he was extremely stressed out and worried that his daughter would “starve.”
Here’s his current profile pic:

However, this apology has not been accepted by Chinese netizens. Likewise, the Sharks have announced that they have terminated all cooperation with Lawman after his “inappropriate comments” caused an “adverse effect on society.”

Lawman has lived in China for more than a decade, becoming fluent in both Mandarin and the Shanghai dialect. He worked as a teacher and basketball coach before getting the gig as the Shanghai Sharks MC in 2015.

He will have to hope to escape the fate of an Australian woman who lost her job and is being kicked out of China after breaking quarantine to go for a jog.

Inbound travelers from two dozen countries must be quarantined for two weeks upon arrival in Shanghai, either at home or in a designated hotel at their own expense. The hotel stays are reported to cost between 200 yuan ($28.50) and 400 yuan ($56.99) a night.
Finally, it’s worth mentioning that the Chinese Basketball Association’s season is scheduled to start back in April after being suspended for months because of the coronavirus outbreak. The games will be played without crowds.
The CBA has ruled that foreign players who don’t return to finish the season up will be banned from playing in the league for three years.


 TRENDING NOW 

JOIN THE COMMUNITY

Be a part of Shanghai's largest,
most vibrant network of foreigners & friends!
1. Add us on WeChat at helloshanghaiist
2. Text "Living in Shanghai"
3. Wait to be added to a WeChat group
4. Ask questions, seek recommendations
and connect with like-minded people.

BE SEEN BY SHANGHAIIST READERS

商务合作微信号 | theshanghaiist
[e-mail]