The Impact of Transparency and Information Flow on Covid-19
The recent outbreak of the deadly Covid-19 has spurred global action and attention. Originating in Wuhan, China, a city of 11 million, lockdowns, quarantines and various anti-epidemic measures have been put into place since the late January through the country and now the globe, when the outbreak first emerged from the wet markets of the city. As of February 28th, more than 83,000 cases have been officially reported, with a death toll nearing 3,000 worldwide.
Prior to this, an ophthalmologist named Dr. Li Wenliang came across a startling discovery on 30th December of 2019. A new, deadly, strain of coronavirus, later revealed to be 80% similar to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) which had claimed 774 lives during the outbreak, had begun spreading through the city and was in its initial stages of a mass pandemic. The information was originally shared privately among his friends and associates via WeChat.
“7 confirmed cases of SARS were reported from Hunan Seafood Market,” said the message that began the exposure of the outbreak. The patient’s examination report and CT scan image was sent, along with a desperate warning for families and friends to adopt hygiene-conscious practices. To his dismay, screenshots of the conversation found their way to a much, much wider audience-- a national one. His manager reprimanded him, and blamed him for his actions. On January 3rd, members of law enforcement from the Wuhan Public Security Bureau interrogated the doctor, gave him a warning letter, and reprimanded him for “making false comments on the Internet.” An admonition letter he was forced to sign posed the following questions: “The [Wuhan] Public Security Bureau hopes you can cooperate with its work, obey the regulations of law enforcement, halt all forms of your illegal activity. Can you do the above?” and “We hope you can place yourself under severe self-reflection. We are warning you now: the Internet is not a land of lawlessness. If you remain stubbornly noncompliant and continue your illegal activity, you shall be punished by the law. Do you understand?”
To which he scrawled with a black ballpoint pen and printed his fingerprint in blood red ink on top to officiate his identity, “I can” and “I understand.”
Dr. Li Wenliang’s letter of admonition
Subsequently, Li returned to work at the hospital and was infected with the coronavirus on the 7th of January. On the 31st of January, he published his letter admonition and experience in the police station on social media. This time, the reach was beyond national. His story had gone global.
On the 7th of February, Dr. Li Wenliang passed away at 2:58am. On social media, an eruption of grief and outrage had overtaken forums, chats, and videos alike. The hashtag “#we want freedom of speech” gained over 2 million views before being forcibly removed by censors. The netizens’ rage was actively voiced with a sarcastically clever jab at the admonition letter Li was given and the institution that forced him to sign it. “I can’t” and “I don’t understand” (in response to the letter) could be seen on thousands of posts, be it written on a surgical mask or an A2-size poster. An nightly activity called “I blew a whistle for Wuhan tonight” was created, where participants would mourn him in the darkness of their homes and blow whistles by their windows simultaneously.
Chinese netizens’ “I can’t” and “I don’t understand” slogans (@YaxueCao on Twitter)
The government has offered no official apology for its mistakes, but instead seemingly empty condolences and tribute for his child and pregnant wife. Had he not been reprimanded by authorities, had they taken swift and proper actions to fight the outbreak in time, prior to its mass destruction, would the death toll be the number it currently is? Would people panic-buy shelves of disinfectant, masks, and cleaning supplies? Would the family and friends of frontline medical workers worry for their lives?
In the face of a government that holds stability, peace, and materialistic appearances or “face” at a far greater value than that of actively dealing with a problem, rather than suffocate and suppress it, one must ask themselves and their government: if a similar situation should arise, would the illusion of solidity remain of utmost importance? Or innocent peoples’ lives?
Bibliography
CBS News. “Coronavirus Reaches 52 Countries, Including 1st in Sub-Saharan Africa.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 28 Feb. 2020, www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/coronavirus-outbreak-death-toll-infections-latest-news-updates-2020-02-28/.
NHS Choices, NHS, www.nhs.uk/conditions/sars/.
Buckley, Chris. “Chinese Doctor, Silenced After Warning of Outbreak, Dies From Coronavirus.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 6 Feb. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/02/06/world/asia/chinese-doctor-Li-Wenliang-coronavirus.html.
“Coronavirus Doctor's Death a Catalyst for 'Freedom of Speech' Demands.” South China Morning Post, 14 Feb. 2020, www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3049606/coronavirus-doctors-death-becomes-catalyst-freedom-speech.
Deng, Chao, and Josh Chin. “Chinese Doctor Who Issued Early Warning on Virus Dies.” The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones & Company, 7 Feb. 2020, www.wsj.com/articles/chinese-doctor-who-issued-early-warning-on-virus-dies-11581019816.