Social controls, SARS experience help China close off cities

Cutting off access to entire cities with millions of residents to stop a new virus outbreak is a step few countries or than China would consider, but it is me possible by ruling Communist Party’s extensive social controls and experience fighting 2002-03 outbreak of SARS.

CITIES AFFECTED: first city closed off was Wuhan, with 11 million people, or 1 1/2 times population of New York City, which is industrial hub of central China. Access was cut off later to neighboring cities in central province of Hubei that include Huanggang, with 7 million people; Ezhou; Chibi; Qianjiang; Zhijiang; Jingmen; Xiantao; Xiaogan and Huangshi. ir combined population is about 33 million.

WHAT IS SHUT DOWN: Authorities have blocked train, plane, rail, long-distance bus and ferry service. Wuhan usually is one of China’s busiest airports, with some 600 scheduled flights per day. Municipal bus and subway service is halted, and cars and trucks were being inspected at roblocks on outskirts of cities and many were turned back. Cinemas, amusement parks, temples and or public sites were ordered to close.

HOW IT’S ENFORCED: Most residents appear to be cooperating following official appeals to stay home and avoid spreing virus. If that fails, Communist Party has one of world’s most extensive systems of surveillance and social controls. Cities are blanketed with video cameras and ruling party has, with help of Western tech companies, developed computerized systems to track public, monitor and censor internet use and suppress protests and dissent. Facilities alrey in place to control movement at train stations and airports and on expressways can be pressed into use to block travel.

IS THIS RIGHT APPROACH?: Quarantining whole cities might seem drastic but is “right direction” for handling a virus with kwn treatment, said Joseph Kwan, a specialist in disease control at Hong Kong University of Science and Techlogy. Shutting down buses and subways to keep people at home will reduce risk people might spre virus before kwing are infected, said Kwan. “It certainly sounds amazing that y can do that, but in China y don’t always do things like rest of world,” said Kwan. “t very many countries can do what y do, but from a public health point of view, this is right direction.”

LESSONS FROM SARS: ruling party was criticized for its slow, grudging response to 2002 emergence of mystery disease later kwn as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. party’s refusal to disclose details fueled panic, leing people to crowd onto trains to flee Beijing and or cities, potentially spreing virus. party eventually mobilized a massive response, including a custom-built hospital, but that took months to get rolling. Chinese leers tried to mollify public by reassigning Beijing party secretary and began daily anuncements about new cases. government created China’s first nationwide disease reporting and control network, modeled on U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

PUBLIC EFFECT: Food prices in Wuhan spiked as shoppers cleared grocery store shelves of vegetables, rice and or supplies. Doctors at one hospital posted appeals online for medical supplies, saying y were running low. Trucks with vegetables, rice and or supplies were allowed into Wuhan after residents stripped grocery store shelves and prices spiked. city government anunced a crackdown on hoarding, price-gouging and sales of fake or shoddy goods. Hubei provincial goverr, Wang Xiaodong, said Wuhan has 5 million kilograms (11 million pounds) of rice, 4,000 tons of cooking oil and more than 10,000 tons of pork and beef in reserve, according to news outlet sina.com. Wang said supplies were being shipped in from as far away as Yunnan province in China’s southwest and Hainan island in South China Sea, sina.com reported.

ACTION TAKEN IN OR CITIES: Nationwide, authorities canceled temple fairs and or public events for Lunar New Year, which began Friday. Subway and bus employees in capital, Beijing, were issued masks, gloves and hand sanitizer and were told to watch each or for signs of fever. city government said subway cars and buses would be disinfected daily. Beijing’s main airport, world’s second-busiest, set up a separate area for flights from Wuhan with its own facilities for passengers and bagg, a city government statement said. It said disinfection measures at airport would increase.

(Chen Yanxi via AP)