32 people in China's Guangzhou city were quarantined in an internet cafe for 9 days after a Covid case was detected next door

• In the Chinese city of Guangzhou, 32 people had to quarantine in an internet cafe for nine days.
• According to Jimu News, the group ate instant noodles and slept on gaming chairs pushed together.

At least 32 people in the Chinese city of Guangzhou were quarantined in an internet cafe for nine days after a Covid case was detected in the area.

According to Jimu News, one woman played so many games during the lockdown that her gaming account was upgraded from "diamond" to "master" level.

The outlet noted that the woman, named Yu Lili, is not normally a gamer and had only popped into the cafe to use its internet services.

However, Yu and dozens of other people found themselves locked down in the cafe on April 8 after a COVID-19 case was detected in the building next door.

Among those quarantined was a 20-year-old named Zhang Chi, who had entered the cafe around 30 minutes before it was closed off. He was meeting three of his gamer friends there, going in with the intention "only to chat with them," he told the outlet.

Before they were released on April 17, the quarantined group consumed the cafe's entire stock of cup noodles and snacks. Some of those trapped ordered cooked food via delivery but that proved to be "too expensive and not sustainable," Zhang said.

Many slept on gaming chairs pushed together but found their backs aching once they woke up, Zhang added. Because the place had no windows, they also could not tell whether it was day or night, he continued.

The group's story has gone viral over social media, with the hashtag "32 people quarantined in internet cafe due to the epidemic" receiving more than 100 million views on China's Twitter-like Weibo platform.

Social media users also commented that an internet cafe is one of the better places to be quarantined. "Finally, a legitimate excuse to play games all day and night," one person said.

Others joked that the 32 people could probably now qualify for national e-sports teams.

Surprise lockdowns are not uncommon in China as officials stand by the country's "zero Covid" policy — one that entails means rapid lockdowns, mass testing, and travel restrictions whenever clusters emerge.

In January, Beijing locked down an entire office building after an Omicron case was detected there. Healthcare workers brought in blankets and pillows, and employees were forced to spend the night in their cubicles.

Last month, dozens of people were quarantined overnight in a hotpot restaurant in Zhengzhou city after a Covid case was discovered there. The trapped diners were treated to free food all night.