Trump: We Appreciate China's Transparency

Every morning (afternoon, Lebanese time), my father would send me all the information he heard or read about Wuhan. He became one of my main sources of news, and most of the news reports he forwarded were Western news reports about the epidemic. Through these reports, I could understand the level of panic outside of China. In my opinion, my father's comments were a microcosm of people's overall response to the epidemic. For example, he was very optimistic when he learned that two specialized hospitals for COVID-19 patients had started being constructed in Wuhan; especially hearing that the hospital would be completed in ten days, his love for China when he was young was rekindled. He said on the phone, “What a great China!”

To cheer him up, I forwarded a detailed report to him. “This is a model of Chinese work,” I told him, “This hospital was designed and planned based on the special hospital established in 2003 when Beijing was fighting SARS. After the SARS epidemic was over, China evaluated its experience in response to the epidemic and concluded that this type of hospital would become a key measure to defeat any similar infectious diseases in the future.”

My father heard that the epidemic had spread to many countries, so he hurried to tell me, “I have seen the latest news. Malaysia has one case,France has three cases, and Australia has two cases...” He also retweeted me a tweet by the U.S. President Trump on his Twitter account on January 25,“China is doing its best to contain the new coronavirus, and the United States appreciates their efforts and transparency. The problem will be resolved. I want to express my gratitude to President Xi on behalf of the American people.”

Before Trump's tweet was released, Chinese President Xi Jinping had made contact with many heads of counitries, including Trump. China had adopted a series of epidemic prevention and control measures, especially the closure of Wuhan, thus effectively controlling the deterioration of the situation. As I mentioned above, China had been continuously updating information about the epidemic and sending it to the WHO, then through which relaying it to relevant countries.

On January 25, Chinese President Xi Jinping presided over a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee. That day coincided with the Chinese New Year, President Xi Jinping made an important decision and announced the cancellation of all public celebrations in China. Major tourist attractions such as the Forbidden City and the Great Wall in Beijing were closed. These measures showed that Chinese officials were fully aware of the seriousness of the situation, and the official media statements had not concealed this fact. President Xi warned that China was facing a dangerous situation that the new coronavirus was spreading rapidly. At the same time, President Xi also expressed China's confidence and determination to overcome the epidemic. In this battle, the government called on people to follow epidemic prevention and control measures and avoid panic.

The epidemic prevention and control actions quickly covered most areas of the country, not just Wuhan. Holidays for universities, middle schools, and primary schools across the country were extended, the government and all public and private institutions stopped working.Residents were asked not to leave their homes unless absolutely necessary,and to wear masks when going out. The government also recommended that citizens cancel their travel abroad. In Wuhan, all previously booked flights were cancelled due to the lockdown of the city.

As for those who left Wuhan before the lockdown, they needed to abide by the home isolation regulations. They would be put under medical isolation and observation for 14 days. The government had traced everyone who left Wuhan some time ago. To this end, China had make full use of all advanced scientific methods, especially big data analysis techniques. However, these effective measures were criticized by the Western media. The Wall Street Journal claimed that the use of big data violated the privacy of citizens. I would like to ask, which is more important, people's health or privacy? Protection of life is the most important priority. Medical isolation and observation of close contacts and suspected cases is an effective measure to control the epidemic. Only strict prevention and control measures can protect the health and life of the 1.4 billion Chinese people.

Laila told me that she was paying close attention to the situation of her friends in China. Relevant departments had contacted the two students who left Wuhan for Xi'an the night before the lockdown of Wuhan. They had planned to leave from Xi'an and return to their country. Surprisingly,Chinese medical personnel for epidemic prevention boarded the train,found them, and put them under the observation in the isolation room for 14 days and monitored their body temperature every day. The epidemic prevention personnel told them that they were required to conduct medical isolation and observation because a patient with confirmed new coronavirus was sitting near them on the train to Xi'an. How did this happen?! How did they get in touch with the millions of people one by one? They even called those who had left China!

We marvelled at the huge potential that China had every day. Now,these measures gave us a sense of security in Wuhan. China's technological capabilities were used to serve the people. In order to overcome the epidemic and protect the interests of the people, the Chinese government was ready to take all measures.

These measures slowed the spread of the epidemic outside Hubei Province (including Wuhan). The Chinese government responded quickly and implemented social distancing and home quarantine policies in all cities to cut off the possible spread of the virus. However, all these measures would take time to be effective.

On this day, January 25, discussions on the evacuation of foreigners from Wuhan began to increase. The Wall Street Journal reported that, “The United States will evacuate American citizens and diplomats stranded in Wuhan tomorrow.” Others talked about the evacuation of Jordan,Japan, and France. This argument was widely circulated among foreign students, and everyone was asking each other if they were willing to leave.However, a WHO spokesperson confirmed that there was no need to evacuate overseas citizens from Wuhan, and the Chinese government held the same attitude.

We used the WeChat group to contact the Director of the Consular Department of the Lebanese Embassy in China every day. She told us, “We have been in touch with other Arab embassies in Beijing. Any Lebanese who wants to leave Wuhan, please tell us as soon as possible. The embassy has good relations with all Arab countries, especially Jordan. Therefore,if students from Jordan are evacuated, we can guarantee that any of you who wants to evacuate can go with them.”

That day, a Lebanese student expressed his wish to leave, and my friend Naeem directly replied that he would stay. I did not answer, I wanted to complete the assessment of the situation before making any decisions.