Shocked diners 'find a FACE MASK in their half-eaten Chinese takeaway' during coronavirus crisis

  • Couple from Shanghai spotted a yellow-stained face mask soaked in their food
  • The eatery first admitted it was their mistake but later denied to be responsible 
  • The manager offered the diners a full refund with an addition of 500 yuan (£60) 
  • Authorities said they didn't see any face masks left unattended in the restaurant
  • Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?

By Emilia Jiang For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

A Chinese couple has been left disgusted after spotting a face mask in their takeaway during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Shanghai residents, known by their surname Yang, ordered the food through a delivery app last Friday from a local restaurant. 

They then spotted a yellow-stained face mask soaked in the sauce while enjoying the dish.  

A Chinese couple, known by their surname Yang, has been left disgusted after spotting a face mask in their takeaway food during the coronavirus pandemic

A Chinese couple, known by their surname Yang, has been left disgusted after spotting a face mask in their takeaway food during the coronavirus pandemic

The restaurant manager offered the diners a full refund but denied that the face mask came from the restaurant.

Local authorities, who looked through the restaurant's CCTV footage, said yesterday that they didn't see any abandoned face mask in the kitchen, according to reports.

Mr Yang said he immediately rang the eatery after making the shocking discovery on March 20. 

The restaurant manager, known by his surname Wu, apologised to the customer and admitted it was a mistake made by the chef. The manager also offered Mr Yang a full refund of his order, according to the local press.

Mr Yang, who refused the money, asked Mr Wu to investigate the incident and find out what exactly happened.  

A chef is seen preparing a food delivery order at Wangfujing Quanjude restaurant in Beijing

A chef is seen preparing a food delivery order at Wangfujing Quanjude restaurant in Beijing

The duty manager offered the diner an addition of 500 yuan (£60), but Mr Yang turned down the reimbursement. He asked the restaurant to issue a formal apology.

On Sunday, Mr Wu changed his previous statement and said he was 'unable to confirm that the incident was caused by the restaurant.'

The restaurant, a franchise of a popular chain 'Yuxin Sichuan Cuisine', also denied they were responsible when approached by the local press.

'We investigated the incident and nothing went wrong,' Mr Wu told Xinmin Evening News. 'We have no idea how the face mask got in there.'

Authorities from the Huangpu District Administration of Market Regulations carried out an investigation yesterday after the customer made a formal complaint.  

The officials looked through the restaurant's surveillance footage and didn't find any face masks left unattended, according to the local press.

The Huangpu authorities said they will conduct further investigation on the incident.

A man with a face mask dines at a restaurant in Hong Kong during the coronavirus outbreak

A man with a face mask dines at a restaurant in Hong Kong during the coronavirus outbreak

A cook wearing a face mask prepares a meal at a restaurant in the former epicentre Hubei

A cook wearing a face mask prepares a meal at a restaurant in the former epicentre Hubei

The news comes as another Chinese restaurant put up a huge banner on Monday to celebrate the fact that the United States and Japan have been hit by the novel coronavirus.

The red banner was placed in front of the restaurant and read: 'Huge congratulations to the American epidemic and long live the epidemic in little Japan.'

The owner of the local restaurant franchise in north-eastern China's Shenyang has been sacked after the company faced backlash on social media. 

A red banner was placed in front of the restaurant in northern China on Monday and read: 'Huge congratulations to the American epidemic and long live the epidemic in little Japan'

A red banner was placed in front of the restaurant in northern China on Monday and read: 'Huge congratulations to the American epidemic and long live the epidemic in little Japan'

The novel coronavirus has infected over 82,000 people in China and the death roll has surpassed 3,200. 

Worldwide, nearly 20,000 people have been killed by the contagion and around 430,000 people have been infected. 

There is a total of 8,077 confirmed cases in the UK and 422 deaths.

Covid-19

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