A Chinese man has been sentenced to death for killing two health officials at a coronavirus traffic check point in Yunnan province, according to a statement by the Yunnan provincial government.

The man drove a small van to the checkpoint and refused to follow instructions by the staff. Another passenger in the van got off and tried to remove a road block, despite warnings from staff members at the check point.

When one of the staffers started recording the incident as “evidence,” the driver of the van “felt dissatisfied” with the recording and started stabbing the staffer with a pocket knife in the chest and abdomen, according to the statement.

The man then moved on to stab the abdomen of another staff member at the checkpoint who came up to intervene. Both staff members died.

“Although the defendant (...) actively surrendered himself and truthfully confessed the facts of the crime, he used extremely cruel methods to kill two staff members of the epidemic prevention and control during the epidemic, and the consequences were extremely serious,” the statement said.

The statement added: “Therefore, the court decided not to impose a lenient sentence and gave the above verdict in accordance with the law."

The second passenger will be tried in a separate case, according to the statement.