Former NBA athlete Jeremy Lin has been fined $1,400 after criticizing the COVID-19 quarantine facilities in China. Lin, who plays for the Guangzhou Loong Lions in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), posted a video where he complained about the hotel workout facilities the team was using. due to COVID-19 regulations. “Can you believe this is a weight room?” Lin said. “What kind of garbage is this?”
Lin’s video, which was posted on Instagram, was later deleted. While Instagram is banned in China, the clip still made its rounds on Chinese social media. The CBA condemned Lin, stating that he made “inappropriate remarks about quarantine hotel-related facilities” and that his comments “caused adverse effects on the league and the competition area.”
“Lin made some inappropriate remarks on social media about some facilities in a quarantine hotel. This behavior has violated certain CBA rules and caused negative perceptions of the tournament and its host city.”
Chinese Basketball Association Statement, Reported by The China Project
The condemnation of Lin’s comments has come in the midst of China cracking down on critics of their “Zero-COVID” policies. The Chinese Communist Party has imposed policies that forcibly quarantine any individual who tests positive for COVID-19. These harsh policies have sparked massive protests across the country, drawing comparisons to the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.
