Photo: Weibo

The manager of a porridge restaurant was detained by police after hanging a banner celebrating the COVID-19 epidemic spreading in the US and Japan, causing a wave of public anger online.

Identified as "Mother Yang's porridge restaurant" in Shenyang, Northeast China's Liaoning Province, the business made an announcement on Twitter-like Sina Weibo Monday, saying the manager in hot water has been sacked for hanging the offensive banner without its permission.

"We apologize for the negative social influence caused by our employee," the restaurant said in the announcement on Weibo.

According to the restaurant, the controversial banner was up for only 90 minutes as local police quickly arrived on the scene to take the banner down and bring the manager in for questioning.

Reading "celebrating the epidemic in the US and wishing coronavirus a nice trip to Japan," the banner was condemned by Chinese netizens after it was disclosed online on Sunday, which is quite the opposite to its goal of attracting customers. Many believe that the restaurant's banner was disrespectful as coronavirus is a crisis being faced by people all over the world.

"That's rude and malicious, I think the restaurant will be notorious around the world," said a netizen, who called for cooperation and love in combating the virus.

"What a poor man, that's not the Chinese people that I know," said a Japanese netizen on Twitter.

Media reports say the manager, 30 years old or so, has been on the post for about five years. The restaurant has temporarily closed, and it is not known when it will resume operations.