While the French are now subject to total confinement, there is very little good news regarding the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. Here's one:China is finally seeing the end of the tunnel, even in Wuhan where the government's drastic measures have finally paid off.
The Chinese government has been widely criticized for initially minimizing the scale of the epidemic of covid-19 coronavirus. Moreover, some scandals have erupted such as the one concerning the doctor Li Wenliang. It was not until January 20 that President Xi Jinping described the situation as serious. In the middle of Chinese New Year, the city of Wuhan epicenter of the epidemic was placed in total containment before a few other cities followed suit.
However, the majority of cities have adopted – less restrictive – measures of social distancing but also paralysis of transport. However, the population has taken the problem head on by adopting appropriate behavior. Indeed, these only came out in case of ultimate need. The country has thus come to a standstill, both in towns and villages where local residents erected barricades preventing any "outsider" from entering.
Very quickly, inquiries began regarding the 5 million Chinese from Wuhan who traveled during the Lunar New Year. They were asked to report to the authorities and to quarantine for two weeks at home. Above all, China has deployed its security and police arsenal to overcome the epidemic. Also easily traceable, citizens have not really had the means to go unnoticed.
The measures mentioned above were enough to reverse the trend in the country. In mid-February, China was declaring fewer and fewer new cases. However, the province of Hubei and Wuhan faced a still deplorable situation , despite the restrictions. New cases continued to appear and deaths piled up. In addition, the two hospitals built in record time have led to the discovery of thousands of new cases. For a while, authorities were discovering about 2,000 new cases a day!
The health system was totally overwhelmed:lack of test kits and beds to accommodate the sick. Those with less severe symptoms were told to go home. Moreover, the fatality rate in Wuhan (4.6%) was much higher than in the rest of China (0.89%). The government has therefore decided to tighten the conditions of confinement a little more by gradually reducing to nil the frequency of exit of the inhabitants. The neighborhood committees then organized themselves to distribute food to people completely stuck in their homes.
Finally, people with symptoms were isolated. To do so, the authorities requisitioned various places:hotels, stadiums, schools and other administrative centers. Indeed, there was no longer a question of staying confined at home with the risk of infecting loved ones.
On March 18, 2020, China claimed to have reported no new local cases of Covid-19. This is a great first since the start of the epidemic. However, the authorities mentioned 34 new cases, all imported. Most of them are overseas Chinese returning to their country. It is for this reason that new measures have been taken in airports with in particular the establishment of a forced quarantine of 14 days under escort. Again, hotels are used to accommodate these people.
While these measures may seem authoritarian and contrary to individual freedoms, the result is there. China has defeated the epidemic. The balance sheet today is more than 80,000 cases for more than 3,200 deaths in the country. The fact is that states, particularly in Europe, are gradually adopting containment measures – certainly less authoritarian – it will be necessary to ensure that laxity and negligence have no place there. If the measures are not respected enough, the epidemic will not be contained and the situation will take much longer to improve.
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