As a demonstration of confidence, Xi Jinping visited Wuhan, the birthplace of the coronavirus, for the first time since the outbreak began more than two months ago. New cases are decreasing, thanks to control measures and strict discipline.
As of Tuesday, March 10, there are 80,754 cases of COVID-19 in China, of which 67,760 were diagnosed in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province. About 112 of the 3,136 confirmed deaths in China have occurred in Wuhan.
On Monday, March 9, the Chinese National Health Commission confirmed that there were only 17 new cases confirmed in the province and two outside the provinces, but in both cases, the patients were linked to foreigners. In other words, almost no new cases are emerging in China.
A huge achievement compared to the thousands of cases reported every day in Hubei weeks ago. China already has experience. The world’s most populous country suffered an outbreak of a type of coronavirus in 2003. Some 349 people died as a result, mostly in Hong Kong. At the time, it was believed that it could kill hundreds of thousands of people; but it was stopped in time.
Now it seems to be happening again. Through strict precautionary measures, China is slowing down and lowering cases of COVID-19 though it could be faster. The crisis erupted in December and did not become visible until mid-January because the government silenced the voices of doctors warning of the danger.
Through constant monitoring, China has slowed down the outbreak
But since January 22, when the quarantine began in Wuhan, China, the situation has changed for the better. On that date, schools and universities were closed (now classes are held over the internet), hotels were placed under quarantine, and the use of masks became widespread.
Since then, companies and neighborhood committees have to send a daily report to the government with accurate data on citizens including name, last name, identity card, the temperature at 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., places visited in the previous 14 days, contact with those affected, symptoms, etc. This information is filled out using a form available on each citizen’s cell phone.
A temperature check is necessary to enter any building, including your own home. Even to access the bicycle path, the police require a temperature check beforehand. If it exceeds 37.3 degrees celsius, the police activate code red, and the cyclist must spend 14 days in home confinement.
Even when you order food to your home, the name of the cook and his body temperature appear on the outer packaging for the safety of the buyer and the record of the authorities.
The government uses a system of “traffic light” codes that appear on the cell phone screen: if there is no danger, the green code appears; when someone has been in a risk zone in the last 14 days, amber, and for those who must be quarantined, red.
These data are available to the Ministry of Health, Transport, and the police. Thus, they are aware of who is a risk to the population, who is not, who they are with, and where they are going. The latter also regulates where they can and cannot enter. A person with a red light is immediately isolated in quarantine.
Social life in China is over
To better control the outbreak, it is no longer possible to make social visits. Only the inhabitants can enter housing estates. The same applies to the employees in the workplace. Even maintenance work is no longer done at home or in offices.
Despite the cold winter, many buildings and offices have chosen to turn off the heating. This prevents the virus from spreading through the air. So it is a common sight to see office workers working in coats and their mandatory face masks.
The few restaurants that are still open have a municipal ordinance to receive few diners so that they can be separated and thus avoid contact among customers. All leisure activities in shared spaces have been prohibited: cinemas, discotheques, municipal sports centers, private gyms, children’s playgrounds. The social life of the Chinese has been limited to moving from home to work and from work to home.
The absence of contact between people is such that the elevators have indications on the floor so that people can stand at a distance and thus avoid touching others.
In massive cities like Shanghai, with 20 million inhabitants, they have managed to keep the number of cases and deaths to 342. That is why China is now warning and collaborating with Europe, which has twice as many cases in the big capitals like Madrid.
China exports safety measures to Europe
In fact, China has already started to export prevention equipment to Italy, the worst affected country in the West. After a conversation between the foreign ministers of the two countries, China agreed to send a thousand fans and two million masks. It is worth noting that they are donating 100,000 respirators, 20,000 protective suits, and 50,000 test kits as part of the “mass aid” package.
In a call between the two foreign ministers, China agreed to supply Italy with 1,000 ventillators and 2 million masks. Additionally, they are donating (!) them 100k respirators, 20k protective suits, and 50k test kits as part of "massive aid" package. https://t.co/M5C91JaCOY
— VKJudit (@VKJudit) March 10, 2020
Italy has already closed its borders after more than 10,000 people were reportedly infected, and more than 631 lost their lives due to the coronavirus. However, more than a thousand people have been cured.
It is only now that the closures have begun, while in Wuhan, China, a city of 10 million people, the quarantine was declared on January 22.
On that date, 500 people were affected, the same number now reported in the Community of Madrid, which has a population of seven million and is only considering a quarantine now.
https://twitter.com/pnique/status/1232217711125684224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1232217711125684224&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fes.panampost.com%2Fmamela-fiallo%2F2020%2F03%2F10%2Fchina-para-controlar-coronavirus%2F
On the contrary, the coalition government between the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party and Unidas Podemos, declared (through several press releases, including Podemos spokesman to Congress, Pablo Echenique) that “the Coronavirus is absolutely under control in Spain.”
As a result, Vox Secretary-General Javier Ortega Smith is infected, there are growing fears that more people in the party and its supporters will be affected because Vox called a meeting of 9,000 people on Saturday, March 7 given the fact that there was no health alert. Now, its president is fiercely criticizing the government.
⭕ Pedro Sánchez ha mentido a los españoles y ha ocultado información.
Este es un Gobierno que ha ido con guantes de látex a una manifestación mientras afirmaba a los españoles que no tenían que tomar medidas y que los focos estaban controlados.
⬇ HILO ⬇ pic.twitter.com/ajnlGm5HLR
— VOX 🇪🇸 (@vox_es) March 10, 2020
“The government has lied to the Spanish people,” claims Abascal. They said that the sources of infection were under control and called Vox alarmists when they asked for the closure of the borders. That is why he publicly demands the removal of Vice President Carmen Calvo.
Meanwhile, China announces that it has won the “People’s War” against the coronavirus. They announced this in a book translated into six languages by the Central Propaganda Department. As we are dealing with a tyrannical regime, the official figures must be viewed with some skepticism.
However, if they are faithful, they would demonstrate that the control measures are indeed successful, and therefore applicable in other nations where the coronavirus has reached the highest circles of power.