Coronavirus: Divorce rate spikes in China as couples spend too much time together at home, say officials
It seems like the novel coronavirus is playing the villain in the lives of married Chinese couples. According to local media reports, one office saw more than 300 couples applying for divorce since February 24 this year.
Lu Shijun, manager of a marriage registry in Dazhou of Sichuan province in south-west China, said hundreds of couples are thinking of ending their marriage, and have already scheduled appointments to get a divorce. He hinted that the rise in number is because couples, during coronavirus home quarantine, are spending too much time together.
“The divorce rate [in the district] has soared compared to before [the coronavirus outbreak]. Young people are spending a lot of time at home. They tend to get into heated arguments because of something petty and rush into getting a divorce,” Lu told the local media, explaining the possible reason behind the surge.
Officials also believe that the other possible reason behind the sudden increase in divorce rate could be the result of delayed applications since the council offices were closed for nearly a month during the initial outbreak of the coronavirus.
However, Dazhou is not the only region that is seeing an unprecedented rise in divorce appointments as marriage registration offices in Xi'an of Shaanxi Province in north-west China are also witnessing a spike owing to COVID-19 since re-opening on March 1. “We started receiving some telephone appointments on March 2, and more appointments came in in the next few days," said Wang, an official of the registration office in Beilin district of Xi'an.
Another marriage registration office in Yanta district is also seeing a similar situation with officials there saying there are no appointments for divorce until March 18.
Since the initial outbreak in January, more than 3,000 people have succumbed to the disease in mainland China.