Chinese pensioner is tied to a tree and publicly shamed for 'taking a walk during draconian COVID-19 lockdown'

An elderly man has reportedly been tied to a tree and publicly shamed for taking a walk during a coronavirus lockdown in China.

Social media footage purports to show the pensioner being bound to a tree with ropes by a community officer, who scolded him for leaving his home in 'such a severe situation'.

The clip also shows the officer telling his colleagues 'to tie him tightly' as they appear to punish the senior citizen for flouting draconian quarantine rules.

The incident reportedly took place on Tuesday in the district of Gaocheng in Shijiazhuang.

Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei Province which surrounds Beijing, has been fighting COVID-19 in a new outbreak since the beginning of January.

On January 8, the city banned all 11million residents from leaving their houses unless absolutely necessary after recording a surge in infections.

The city is also building a massive quarantine camp designed to hold thousands of suspected virus carriers to combat the outbreak.

An official from Gaocheng confirmed the authenticity of the footage to local reporters.

A spokesperson from the Gaocheng District Cyberspace Administration told Xuanwo Video that the public shaming in the video 'did happen'. However, he declined to provide further comments.