A member of a COVID-19 control team has died in the eastern Shandong province after being beaten by a boy who refused to follow checkpoint protocol, police in the city of Tai’an announced Monday.

According to local media, the 73-year-old victim, surnamed Li, manned a disease control checkpoint at a local market. On Monday morning, the suspect, a 15-year-old surnamed Song, punched Li multiple times after Li stopped a truck arriving to deliver goods to a stall owned by the boy’s family.

Li, who fell and lost his consciousness during the assault, was later pronounced dead at a local hospital, according to the report. The police said Song has been taken into custody.

With strict COVID-19 containment policies being imposed nationwide, many community workers tasked with enforcing such measures have faced resistance, even violence, from uncooperative citizens. Earlier this month, police in the central Henan province detained a man after he attacked an outbreak control worker who had insisted he put on a mask. (Image: dzwww.com)