As the 2019-nCoV coronavirus outbreak escalated in early 2020, anger surged among Chinese citizens, largely targeting local officials' crisis management, as voiced widely on social media.
Latest reports tallied nearly 450 deaths and over 20,000 confirmed cases from the Wuhan coronavirus. Authorities rolled out reassuring images and messages via state propaganda to bolster public confidence and curb panic.
However, as Les Échos detailed on February 3, 2020, residents were increasingly restive—especially in quarantined cities like Wuhan. Over 20 million people remained confined amid two-week extensions to Chinese New Year holidays. Online, citizens vented fury, noting the crisis dwarfed the 2003 SARS epidemic.
Wuhan officials faced accusations of enabling the virus's spread. Mayor Zhou Xiangwang allegedly concealed key details and minimized risks, claims amplified by an anonymous WeChat post viewed over 100,000 times.
Dr. Li Wenliang, a Wuhan eye doctor, endured early police pressure after posting on Weibo to alert colleagues about seven suspected SARS-like cases.
Public outrage peaked over images of local officials donning masks meant exclusively for hospital staff during acute shortages.
Strikingly, such criticism emerged despite China's robust censorship. The central Communist Party leadership appears to tolerate it, as ire focuses on local executives rather than national authority.
Related Articles:
