After coming out of quarantine, numerous couples in China are filing for divorce.
The Covid-19 outbreak confined people to their homes for over a month, as per government advice to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
This prolonged period together appears to have strained many marriages, leading to a substantial increase in divorce requests.
Reports about the extensive wait for divorces in Xi’an, China, have gained significant traction on the Chinese social media platform, Weibo.
According to the provincial Registrar of Marriage, all divorce appointment slots were fully booked.
An official from the bureau stated, “The public now needs to wait for nearly three weeks to submit their applications.”
He mentioned that since reopening on March 2 after the Covid-19 hiatus, all appointments at the bureau’s 17 offices had been taken up.
In Dazhou city of southwestern Sichuan province, the Registrar of Marriage offices were also inundated with divorce applications.
The bureau’s chief for Tongchuan district, Dai Shijun, revealed that they had processed 122 marriage applications and 88 divorce applications since reopening.
“We handled 15 divorce cases on Monday and 16 on Tuesday,” he said, adding that the number of divorce appointment requests exceeded those for marriage.
Dai mentioned a waiting line of over 100 couples seeking divorce.
The increase in conflicts and disagreements between couples became more pronounced during the extended period spent together, according to Dai.
A Weibo user disclosed that spending 24/7 with her husband accentuated his flaws, leading to significant arguments over simple household tasks.
Another user complained about her husband’s behavior at home, stating, “Before the outbreak, I understood his work commitments, but now he neglects household chores and childcare despite ample free time.”
She criticized her husband’s daily routine of waking up late, having lunch, and then immersing himself in his cellphone.
