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Covid temperature checker fired after playing solitaire on shift

A security staff member who was tasked with checking people's temperatures at a train station has reportedly been fired after video emerged of her playing solitaire on shift.

Amid heightened health checks during the pandemic, train passengers have been subject to temperature checks across China with sophisticated cameras used to detect those with high temperatures.

However, an employee monitoring travellers' temperatures at Suzhou train station, west of Shanghai, on Wednesday has been sacked after she used the same screen displaying temperatures to play a game of spider solitaire.

The female worker was caught playing spider solitaire on shift while she was meant to be monitoring people's temperatures. Source: Weibo
The female worker was caught playing spider solitaire on shift while she was meant to be monitoring people's temperatures. Source: Weibo

Footage shared by Chinese media outlets shows masked passengers passing the worker as she continues to play the game.

At one point a traveller's temperature appears to register at 40 degrees, however she does not take note, still fixated on her game.

Several other passengers pass with abnormally high temperatures.

After the station learned of the video, it said it would investigate the matter and take appropriate action.

On Tuesday, Time Video confirmed on Twitter-like site Weibo the station had revealed the staff member had been dismissed.

On Weibo users questioned the accuracy of the camera due to the high proportion of people with a high temperature, and suggested hot weather outside had led to the recordings.

Some questioned why people who are caught on their mobile phones at work are not also fired.

Others were not as forgiving however, with one user labelling the worker's behaviour as "quite serious".

One person said regardless of whether the machine was faulty, workers should not be playing games on shift.

While others simply commended her choice of game.

"Spider solitaire! Yes!" one person wrote.

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