March 20, 2020
In an ironic twist of faith, Chinese nationals are heading back to China as Covid-19 cases continue to rise in Europe and the United States and stabilize in mainland China. Many Chinese believe China to be much safer at this point in time.
From late January, China implemented 17 cities in Hubei province under lockdown in an attempt to slow down the Covid-19 outbreak. Those early lockdowns are beginning to ease for the first time as economic activities begin to reestablish. Apple has reopened all its stores in China.
China has announced zero new infections in Hubei province for the second day in a row. However, there have been 34 new infections nationwide as of March 19. This indicates a new shift in the pandemic.
The current news sounds promising in China, ground-zero for the coronavirus. Airfares have soared 174% because of Chinese nationals escaping the virus in Europe, according to Bloomberg. A Chinese student at Cambridge University reportedly paid $8,185 USD to fly back home to China from the United Kingdom.
As the pandemic begins to stabilize in China due to draconian measures, the Chinese are now able to provide medical supplies and specialists to Spain and Italy. The People’s Daily reported that a team of 13 Chinese medical staff was sent to Milan, Italy to help curb the outbreak.
A team of 13 Chinese medical staff arrived in #Milan, #Italy to help contain the #Covid_19 #pandemic. They will share their experience with local experts and provide guidance and consultation for #coronavirus control and treatment. #CoronaOutbreak pic.twitter.com/0dyW9Sn81M
— People's Daily, China (@PDChina) March 19, 2020
China has been criticized for covering up the initial coronavirus outbreak and delayed releasing information about the virus to the West. However, the Chinese government, utilizing the latest A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) technology developed by Jack Ma’s Alibaba was able to quickly identify and sequence the Covid-19 genome and release the information to WHO and CDC in early January. They were also the first country to lock down an entire city to buy the West more time to prepare.
Feature Image via Telegraph & ADN