A Nightmare Come to Life
Man wearing a protective mask in Wuhan, China (Getty Images)
In China, the city of Wuhan resembles a ghost town, empty and desolate, and with no sign of life. This city was placed on lockdown soon after the Chinese Lunar New Year; what was supposed to be a day of reuniting with families and celebrating turned into a horrible nightmare for the people of Wuhan. This nightmare soon engulfed neighboring cities and eventually threatened people across the world: the coronavirus.
The coronavirus infects the respiratory tract and displays pneumonia-like symptoms; its source is thought to be from animals. In China, the virus has infected more than 81,000 people and caused more than 3,000 deaths. Since appearing in China, the coronavirus has spread across most continents and about 200 countries, infecting over 471,000 number of people and killing over 21,000. Consequently, the World Health Organization has declared an international public health emergency. The outbreak of this virus has many impacts on society.
The outbreak of this virus is worse than the 2002 SARS outbreak in China, with a greater number of deaths reported; SARS resulted in 774 deaths between November 2002 to July 2003, while the coronavirus has killed about three times that number of people in eight weeks. SARS was a contagious respiratory illness that appeared in China and quickly spread around the world. The Chinese government was accused of covering up the SARS outbreak, though the Beijing government claims it has learned its lesson on openness and responsibility. While Beijing was applauded for its quick response to the coronavirus outbreak, the government is still censoring criticism, punishing people for spreading “rumors,” and withholding information it regards as alarming.
When the first case appeared and the coronavirus started spreading, government officials stated the disease was mild, controlled, and treatable. Those who had posted on social media about the virus were bought in for questioning by the police, where they were told to stop spreading “rumors.” This was all done to keep up government appearances and protect the Chinese economy. However, if the government had disclosed the seriousness of the situation early on, among the growing concerns on social media and the news, they could have reduced the impact of the virus on the world and on the Chinese economy.
Moreover, the way the news of the coronavirus broke was similar to that of the SARS outbreak. It was not until someone affected in Wuhan reported the virus that officials came forward. Soon after, Hong Kong Media found cases in other cities and began to report internationally, prompting officials to act. Hong Kong journalists were detained for hours by the police when they came to visit a hospital in Wuhan that was housing most of the coronavirus patients. They were also told to delete any television footage they might have recorded and were forced to hand over their cell phones and cameras for inspection. Likewise, a reporter’s article on how the government was dealing with the virus was deleted ten hours after being posted. Furthermore, four residents of a Chinese city were detained for spreading “rumors” about coronavirus patients. These actions had the effect of silencing others from speaking out. Government control to this level sent the message that only government agencies are allowed to speak about the disease.
The coronavirus outbreak has also led to a spread of xenophobia around the world. Chinese people along with mostly all other Asian people in many countries are facing discrimination as people fear they will contract the virus from any person of Asian heritage. For example, a French newspaper published headlines declaring “Yellow Peril” in France and included a picture of a Chinese woman with a protective mask. In a Canadian town with a large Chinese population, parents circulated and signed a petition arguing that children whose families had just visited China should not attend school and be self-quarantined. In addition, a restaurant in South Korea put up a sign stating “No Chinese Allowed.” Furthermore, Chinese students in the UK have described how their peers in university have begun avoiding them since news of the virus broke. Evidently, due to this disease, the Chinese population around the world are being unjustly treated because of their ancestry.
Chinese exclusion extends to Chinese-owned businesses, as well. For example, in Toronto, Chinese-owned businesses have experienced a 40 to 80% loss in income. As a result, the growing xenophobia is having an impact on global and local economies. In China, many cities are on lockdown and the major industrial and commercial hubs have been closed to prevent the spread of the disease. Since China’s economy is integral to the world economy, a slowdown in China’s economy has slowed down the global economy. This influence on the global stage is demonstrated through the response to the outbreak from many brand names. Companies such as Starbucks, McDonald’s, and Apple have temporarily closed their offices in China. Moreover, domestic and foregin tourism restrictions and bans have had a major impact, with China losing almost $128 billion, as tourism is a large part of China’s economy. The global tourism market has also been impacted, losing almost $5.7 trillion in revenue.
The outbreak of the coronavirus is not only dangerous because it has taken more than 21,000 lives and infected over 471,000 people, but also because there are many people who are unknowingly spreading the virus. In effect, this virus has not only resulted in death, but has also had a wide range of political, social, and economic consequences on the world.