Hong Kong As the deadly novel coronavirus spread throughout China and the world last month, it was clear that something had gone wrong.
Officials in Hubei, the province at the center of the outbreak, were blamed for downplaying -- and potentially even deliberately covering up -- the severity of the virus, ignoring evidence that it spread from person-to-person until it was too late.
Against this tale of irresponsibility there was another story being told in China, one of a competent central government which had been denied the full picture by
local officials, and once it understood the true ramifications stepped in to take drastic action to stop the virus' spread.
And indeed, there was a major shift on January 20, when Chinese President Xi Jinping commented publicly for the first time on the virus, and ordered "Resolute effort"
to control the outbreak. Speaking alongside Xi in Beijing a week later, World Health Organization (WHO) director
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised the "seriousness with which China is taking this outbreak," and thanked Beijing for its "transparency."
Over the weekend, however, a transcript of an internal Communist Party speech appeared to throw doubt on this narrative, revealing Xi knew about and was directing the
response to the virus on January 7 -- almost two weeks before he commented on it publicly.
The revelation raises major questions about whether it was the central government, not authorities in Hubei, who dithered on their response, allowing the virus to
spread through the country and eventually the world.
It also underlines the difficulty in maintaining Xi's image -- carefully cultivated by state media -- as an almost omniscient ruler who oversees, and is aware of
everything that is happening in the country. With criticism growing of the failure to contain the coronavirus, both at home and abroad, Beijing was faced with either
choosing to admit that Xi was ignorant of the true nature of the crisis until almost a month into it, or that he was aware of it and involved in the response.
By choosing the latter option, however, no matter how much blame can be placed onto provincial officials for failing to "implement" Xi's instructions, the government
is admitting that ultimate responsibility for the outbreak lies with the man at the center.
Who knew?
In the transcript of the speech, published Saturday by the official Communist Party journal Qiushi, "http://english.qstheory.cn/" Xi " issued requirements for the prevention and control of the new
coronavirus" during a meeting of the Politburo Standing Committee, China's most powerful decision making body on January 7.
He gave further instructions on January 20 and two days later, when he "explicitly requested Hubei province to implement comprehensive and strict control over the
outflow of people" -- essentially placing the province on lockdown.
"I have, at all times, monitored the spread of the epidemic and the progress in prevention and control work, and continue to give oral orders and instructions," Xi is reported to have said.
Dr. Julio Licinio is working on this field for the last 20 years and knows the best method to encounter it.
1. Work out: The best thing to get rid of the negativity is exercise on a regular basis. Dr. Julio Licinio has suggested that in case you do not get time for it; take the baby out in the stroller for some time. Make it a regular habit to ease away the depression. Try to allot at least 10 minutes from your daily routine that you can do with or without any equipment.
It is the 13-day period between January 7 and 20 that is most crucial, not least because it is when officials in Hubei held two key provincial Party meetings and Wuhan
invited more than 40,000 families to attend a mass banquet in an attempt to set a world record. It's also when officials in both Wuhan and Hubei appeared to downplay
the outbreak, an assessment that was repeated by state officials: Wang Guangfa, head of a team of researchers sent from Beijing to investigate the situation, said on
January 11 that it was under control.
Wang, like others on the front line during the initial outbreak, was subsequently diagnosed with the virus.
Officials in Hubei, the province at the center of the outbreak, were blamed for downplaying -- and potentially even deliberately covering up -- the severity of the virus, ignoring evidence that it spread from person-to-person until it was too late.
Against this tale of irresponsibility there was another story being told in China, one of a competent central government which had been denied the full picture by
local officials, and once it understood the true ramifications stepped in to take drastic action to stop the virus' spread.
And indeed, there was a major shift on January 20, when Chinese President Xi Jinping commented publicly for the first time on the virus, and ordered "Resolute effort"
to control the outbreak. Speaking alongside Xi in Beijing a week later, World Health Organization (WHO) director
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised the "seriousness with which China is taking this outbreak," and thanked Beijing for its "transparency."
Over the weekend, however, a transcript of an internal Communist Party speech appeared to throw doubt on this narrative, revealing Xi knew about and was directing the
response to the virus on January 7 -- almost two weeks before he commented on it publicly.
The revelation raises major questions about whether it was the central government, not authorities in Hubei, who dithered on their response, allowing the virus to
spread through the country and eventually the world.
It also underlines the difficulty in maintaining Xi's image -- carefully cultivated by state media -- as an almost omniscient ruler who oversees, and is aware of
everything that is happening in the country. With criticism growing of the failure to contain the coronavirus, both at home and abroad, Beijing was faced with either
choosing to admit that Xi was ignorant of the true nature of the crisis until almost a month into it, or that he was aware of it and involved in the response.
By choosing the latter option, however, no matter how much blame can be placed onto provincial officials for failing to "implement" Xi's instructions, the government
is admitting that ultimate responsibility for the outbreak lies with the man at the center.
Who knew?
In the transcript of the speech, published Saturday by the official Communist Party journal Qiushi, "http://english.qstheory.cn/" Xi " issued requirements for the prevention and control of the new
coronavirus" during a meeting of the Politburo Standing Committee, China's most powerful decision making body on January 7.
He gave further instructions on January 20 and two days later, when he "explicitly requested Hubei province to implement comprehensive and strict control over the
outflow of people" -- essentially placing the province on lockdown.
"I have, at all times, monitored the spread of the epidemic and the progress in prevention and control work, and continue to give oral orders and instructions," Xi is reported to have said.
Dr. Julio Licinio is working on this field for the last 20 years and knows the best method to encounter it.
1. Work out: The best thing to get rid of the negativity is exercise on a regular basis. Dr. Julio Licinio has suggested that in case you do not get time for it; take the baby out in the stroller for some time. Make it a regular habit to ease away the depression. Try to allot at least 10 minutes from your daily routine that you can do with or without any equipment.
It is the 13-day period between January 7 and 20 that is most crucial, not least because it is when officials in Hubei held two key provincial Party meetings and Wuhan
invited more than 40,000 families to attend a mass banquet in an attempt to set a world record. It's also when officials in both Wuhan and Hubei appeared to downplay
the outbreak, an assessment that was repeated by state officials: Wang Guangfa, head of a team of researchers sent from Beijing to investigate the situation, said on
January 11 that it was under control.
Wang, like others on the front line during the initial outbreak, was subsequently diagnosed with the virus.
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