The coronavirus constitutes "the most serious health emergency" to strike China since the foundation of the communist regime in 1949, said President Xi Jinping this Sunday, while acknowledging "gaps" in the response to the epidemic. "Lessons must be learned from the manifest shortcomings that have emerged in response to the epidemic," he said, according to remarks reported by national television.
The epidemic of viral pneumonia, which has infected nearly 77,000 people in China, including more than 2,400 fatally, "is a crisis, a great ordeal for us", he launched at a meeting of the most senior leaders of the country.
Covid-19 proves to be "very difficult to prevent and control"
The regime has faced an unusual wave of discontent in recent weeks for being slow to respond to the appearance of a new virus in December. A doctor, who was reprimanded by the police for raising the alarm, died of the virus in early February, generating widespread criticism on social media and even calls for freedom of expression.
China had already been the cradle in 2002-3 of an outbreak of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) which had killed some 650 people in the country, including Hong Kong. In comparison, Covid-19 disease is "very difficult to prevent and control," said the Chinese number one.
Strong impact on the economy
In response, his government placed de facto in quarantine exactly one month ago the city of Wuhan, the cradle of the virus, with its 11 million inhabitants. The epidemic, which has spread to around 30 countries and territories, has led to a sharp slowdown in the Chinese economy.
Xi Jinping acknowledged that it would "inevitably have a strong impact on the economy and society" but assured that its effects would be "short term" and manageable.
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