People take COVID-19 vaccines at the temporary vaccination site at Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station in east China's Shanghai, May 29, 2021. Photo: Xinhua

 
The authorities of a subdistrict in Shanghai on Monday asked a shopping mall to rectify its practices after the mall sparked a public outcry for rejecting people who hadn't been inoculated with COVID-19 vaccines from entering the complex, saying the move was "inappropriate." 

A local resident photographed herself being asked to show her vaccination record at the plaza on Sunday. Video clips show that she asked why she had to show the record, given that the Shanghai municipal government didn't have such a rule, but a staff member replied that the mall had the rule.

The video went viral online quickly. Some netizens said such an approach is understandable because it will ensure more people get vaccinated to curb coronavirus transmission, but others said it was unreasonable and discriminatory, especially for people who are not able to get vaccinated because of their age, physical condition or because they are pregnant.

Some said the shopping mall's rule goes against the country's principle that inoculation should be on a voluntary basis. 

"This is a typical one-size-fits-all approach. China has clearly stated that inoculation should be done on a voluntary basis, but some just won't listen," a netizen said.

Since March, China's mass inoculation campaign has speeded up. To encourage as many residents as possible to get vaccinated, Chinese cities have come up with multiple incentives, such as launching lucky draws with prizes or giving tickets to tourism sites as tokens.

As of June 6, about 778 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered nationwide, statistics from China's Health Commission show. Zeng Yixin, deputy director of the National Health Commission (NHC), confirmed in an interview with the Xinhua News Agency on Sunday that China aims to give COVID-19 shots to at least 70 percent of its population by the year's end. 

China is taking an approach of "getting the people who need it vaccinated and pushing forward vaccination by stage." China's top health authority has said at press conference in April that compulsory vaccination should be corrected