Anti-epidemic workers take samples for COVID-19 testing inside a closed-down restaurant in Beijing's Daxing district on Monday. Photo: IC

 A restaurant owner surnamed Xie from Beijing's Daxing district has been sentenced to eight months in prison and one year probation for breaking COVID-19 quarantine rules, a court announced on Wednesday, prompting Chinese netizens to complain that the verdict was "not enough."

Xie, a frequent visitor to Xinfadi market, where the COVID-19 outbreak in Beijing started, was required to stay at home on June 15 last year, but he ignored the order and visited public venues such as restaurants and markets.

He also concealed his visits to the market during an epidemiological investigation.

Xie was later diagnosed with COVID-19 on June 24, resulting in 60 people he came into contact with having to go into quarantine, and the apartment building where he lived being sealed off, according to Beijing Daily on Wednesday.

The Beijing court held that Xie's behavior caused the risk of the spread of COVID-19 because of his refusal to comply with epidemic prevention measures, but decided he deserved a lighter punishment in accordance with the law because he had surrendered to police.

However, Chinese netizens clearly didn't buy the verdict.

"It seems like no difference between bail for one year and no sentence at all," said one angry netizen on China's Twitter-like platform Sina Weibo on Wednesday, "A person like this should be sentenced to at least three years!"

Some netizens expressed their regret and confusion towards the person, saying that "being in quarantine doesn't mean locking ourselves away forever. You can go out once it's over and it's good for all of us."

This is not the first time violators have received prison sentences.

In January, three people in Northeast China's Liaoning Province who ignored the quarantine regulations issued by the Dalian government were arrested by police, according to People's Daily.

In February 2020, three people in Shanghai were detained or fined by the police for going out without authorization in violation of home quarantine rules, according to The Paper.