Covid-19: China denies foreign spread of virus
What you need to know:
- In a White Paper , Beijing said it acted based on preliminary information it had, and shared, locking down epicentres and compelling all suspected cases into quarantine
- Wuhan is where initial cases of Covid-19 were confirmed late in December last year.
The Chinese government claims the controversial restrictions it imposed to contain Covid-19 worked, even as critics accused China of sitting on crucial information.
But Chinese authorities said they will not be responsible for missteps taken by foreign countries in containing the scourge which has continued to infect and kill more, six months on.
QUARANTINE
In a White Paper released on Sunday, Beijing said it acted based on preliminary information it had, and shared, locking down epicentres and compelling all suspected cases into quarantine.
The Paper, published by China’s State Council Information Office, defends Beijing’s role in fighting the novel coronavirus disease, which has since infected 6.8 million and killed more than 397,000 people in the world so far.
“For China, with a large population of 1.4 billion, this achievement did not come easily,” says the document titled ‘Fighting Covid-19, China in Action.’
“It took the country over a month to achieve initial success in curbing the spread of the virus, about two months to bring the daily figure of new domestic cases on the mainland down to single digits, and three months to win a decisive victory in defending Wuhan City and Hubei Province.”
The initial cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in Wuhan in December last year. But nearly every country in the world has reported a case of the infectious respiratory disease.
CRUCIAL INFORMATION
The document, however, reflects China’s bid to clean its image abroad, after critics led by the US accused Beijing of either lying or sitting on crucial information that might have helped the global community prepare for the disease.
Last week, US President Donald Trump terminated funding the World Health Organisation, the principal UN organ that helped combat diseases globally, accused the institution of being under total control” by China.
“…they have refused to act because they have failed to make the requested and greatly needed reforms,” Trump stated in a letter to the WHO Director General, Dr Tedros Adhanom on May 29.
The US is the biggest single country contributor to the WHO budget, sending about $400 million in 2019, compared to China’s $40 million.
In the Paper, however, China argues the actual origin of the virus cannot be determined yet, suggesting it may not have been Wuhan.
EVIDENCE
“The novel coronavirus is a previously unknown virus. Determining its origin is a scientific issue that requires research by scientists and doctors,” the Paper says.
“The conclusion must be based on facts and evidence. It is both irresponsible and immoral to play the blame game in an attempt to cover up one’s own shortcomings. China will never accept any frivolous lawsuits or compensation claims.
Last month, a German newspaper suggested China should compensate lost revenues to industries that shut down over coronavirus.
The Paper detailed what officials called a success story of China’s controversial restrictions that included forced testing and quarantine of suspected cases.
In April, Beijing fought potential image damaging incidents after African nationals living in China complained they had been denied admission to hotels or evicted from their rented apartments because they were suspected to have the virus.
China demanded no travels between villages, special certificates to go out shopping or be accepted into hotels and introduced controversial nucleic acid tests.
COMBAT VIRUS
“China’s response has been professional because its response measures were based on timely analyses and assessments by scientists and public health experts, whose views and proposals were fully respected.
“China has suffered tremendously but has contributed generously to the global efforts to combat the virus. Its efforts should be duly recognised, and it should not be criticised groundlessly. Certain countries ignored this information, and now blame China for their own failure to respond to the epidemic and protect their people’s lives.”
China’s own cases rose rapidly initially, but plummeted with some days recording no new infections or deaths.
It has reported 83, 040 cases of which 78,307 have fully recovered and 4634 others killed.
Officials say the restrict quarantine measures targeted at least 740,000 close contacts, limiting the spread.
