Photographer: Hector Retamal / AFP / Getty Images
Photographer: Hector Retamal / AFP / Getty Images
A year after the closure in the Chinese city of Wuhan shocked the world, the tactic appears to be a lasting tool to suppress the coronavirus almost everywhere.
When the first large-scale exclusion in modern times was implemented in China on January 23 at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was then considered unproven and unthinkable, especially by democratic governments that have deterred the implications for human rights violations from restricting citizens’ freedom of movement on such a large scale.
Yet the UK is almost 12 months into the middle of its third nationwide locks up while fighting a mutated strain of the coronavirus. In Australia, the recent discovery of one case in Brisbane has given rise to a three-day restriction. And China, which is experiencing its biggest outbreak since the start of the pandemic with more than 500 cases, closed three cities around Beijing this month.
‘Before COVID-19, there was a strong global health discourse that argued against exclusions and similar mass quarantines. It’s just one thought that the current pandemic has overturned, ”said Nicholas Thomas, associate professor of health security at City University of Hong Kong.
“As far as possible, locks will be part of the essential toolkit that governments can use to address the ongoing as well as future outbreaks,” he said.
War measures
The speed with which China shut down millions of people when the pandemic broke out was the first time that the measure was taken to such an extent in modern times.
Until last year, severe barriers were synonymous with the waves of bubonic plague that swept through Europe from the 14th century. Even during the Spanish flu in the early 20th century, no lockouts were introduced centrally. However, in recent history, China has imposed three major roadblocks: during a bubonic plague in 1901 in the northeast, and two shortly after the Sichuan earthquake in 2008 and another amid a bubonic plague in 2014 in Gansu province.
Foreign countries that were surprised during the Wuhan lockdown did the same thing only months later when the virus spread uncontrollably.
After an infectious disease has reached a certain number of people, barriers cannot be avoided because no other measure can spread, said Jiang Qingwu, a professor of epidemiology at Fudan University in Shanghai.
Although it is clear that there remains a large gap between what the Chinese government is able to impose on its citizens during a lockout compared to democratic countries. Local authorities have always been quick to state what the government often refers to as ‘wartime’ as a response to a relatively low number of infections, but also to ensure its compliance through actions such as closing down the flats completely. In some cases, people may not go out to get food, but deliveries are arranged instead.
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According to the authors of a a study conducted by Bloomberg Economics and compared how democratic countries have acted against more authoritarian countries in dealing with the pandemic, ‘a rapid and rigorous blockade is the kind of knee-jerk reaction that comes more naturally to authoritarian than democratic regimes . ‘
In China’s latest exclusion in Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei province, the strict measures are reminiscent of those of the Wuhan lockdown, which ended on April 8 after infections declined to zero. Residents in the northeastern city, 290 kilometers southwest of Beijing, must stay at home for seven days while the city begins a second round of mass testing for the entire population of 11 million, as the cases in the region exceed 500. Flights and trains to and from the city were discontinued, as was almost all public transportation.
In contrast, democracies such as the United Kingdom in their versions of locksmiths have generally allowed people to leave home to buy necessities such as food and medicine, walk or exercise with their dogs. Schools remain open in the fall closure of France, while Israel closes in the last two weeks of the month, allowing people to gather outside in groups. to 10, with exemptions for religious activities.
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But there were also examples of democratic governments imposing extreme rules. A state government in Australia, where officials are reacting strongly to flare-ups, even banned outdoor exercise and dog walking during a short lockout in November.
Winter revival
Chinese authorities argue that the country’s refusal of the crisis proves that their approach works. And a winter revival of the virus in countries such as South Korea, Japan and Sweden, which was initially successful with a minimal disruption approach that avoided barriers, underscores the argument for stricter measures, especially as tired citizens are advised to stay at home .
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“Given the large number of China and its high density, we have proven it [these measures] is very effective, ”Mi Feng, spokesperson for the country’s national health commission, told Bloomberg News.
In addition to concerns about civil liberties, many governments remain reluctant to set up the kind of full barriers seen in China due to the economic cost – although research by the International Monetary Fund’s latest World Economic Outlook has shown that if countries make the decisive decision taking these measures, they fared better in terms of protecting the economy. New Zealand is one such example: only 25 deaths are recorded after being locked up quickly, while life would return to normal shortly thereafter.
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Even China, who is economy has bounced back to life is knowledge of economic pressure. Since the closure of Wuhan, the authorities have clearly stated that they need to close economically significant cities like Beijing, despite major boom. Officials largely turned to aggressive contact detection during an outbreak in the capital last summer.
“Effective as connections are expensive,” said Yanzhong Huang, director of the Center for Global Health Studies, at Seton Hall University in New Jersey. “Even for China, it’s unsustainable in the long run, ‘he adds, comparing reflection decisions to’ shooting cannonballs at mosquitoes. ‘
With vaccinations now rapidly spreading across major western countries and China, the hope is that barriers will be much less common in 2021, although there is still great uncertainty about how long it will take to vaccinate enough of the world population to be able to reopen the world economy safely.
Despite the economic implications, the legacy of Covid-19 is likely that barriers will continue in the future during outbreaks of many communicable diseases, especially as it is now known to people everywhere for the first time in a century.
“Restrictive quarantine itself is not a new invention and its application dates back to the Black Death in the Middle Ages,” Huang said. “But it is ironic that such an old method remains the most effective despite the tremendous advances in the medical sciences.”
– With help from John Liu, Claire Che and Dong Lyu