A Real Test of Humanitarianism

by Bao Gangsheng

The novel coronavirus pneumonia is not only highly infectious， but also has a high death rate due to a long incubation period and tricky symptoms. Before an effective vaccine and treatment for symptoms can be developed， the world will continue to face epidemic problems and challenges during a long-term battle with the virus.

Chinas Approach

When the outbreak started gaining steam， China sounded the alarm about the novel coronavirus on January 20， 2020， when the whole country entered a state of emergency.

In general， Chinas anti-epidemic approach has been a series of government-led lockdown and quarantine measures based on four pillars.

First， at the peak of the epidemic， the Chinese government took resolute measures to lock down the worst-hit city， Wuhan， and suspend the operation of schools and factories. Such isolation measures effectively cut off the spread of the virus.

Second， the national medical and health system was widely mobilized to successfully treat COVID-19 patients including providing adequate medical treatment for patients with severe conditions and providing quarantine， medical observation， and auxiliary help for patients with light and common symptoms.

Third， close contacts， suspected cases， and travelers from epidemic hotspots have been quarantined and observed in various ways including in hospitals， at home， in quarantine centers， and in other isolated areas.

Fourth， the central government optimally coordinated and allocated medical resources including the rapid construction of specialized hospitals and temporary treatment centers while organizing other provinces and municipalities in China to provide support to designated places in Hubei Province.

At the height of the epidemic， this approach brought remarkable results. After two months of effort at huge cost， China had essentially controlled the spread of the epidemic.

However， the global outbreak of COVID-19 hardly leaves China as a haven. How to resume the normal operation of the economy and society as much as possible while effectively preventing and controlling imported cases and cooperating with the world to fight the pandemic has become an urgent task for China today.

Developed CountriesChanging Responses

Developed countries in Europe and the United States demonstrated poor judgment， sluggishness， and lack of leadership in their respective responses to the COVID-19 outbreak at the early stage. As it worsened， they began to adopt greater crisis awareness and engage in extensive internal coordination to implement countermeasures in mid-March.