Instant International
Written by: Fang Yimei, He Wenhan and Xu Yi'an
2020-07-21 06:02
Last update date: 2020-07-21 06:02Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on July 19 that if the third wave of the novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) epidemic in Hong Kong continues to deteriorate, the introduction of a "foot ban" cannot be ruled out. This can be regarded as a relatively mild one of some collective epidemic prevention measures, and different countries have different approaches and their severity levels are also different. The most stringent of course is China's "Wuhan-style lockdown", which has been successively referenced and improved by South Korea and Italy. Generally speaking, the situation in Britain and the United States is relatively loose.
China's "closed city" is the most thorough
The place where the epidemic first appeared in China and later became the "severely-hit area" was Wuhan, which has implemented a 76-day blockade since January 23. The government used a long-established public health method that dates back to the 14th century to fight the epidemic and blocked a city of more than 11 million people.
This is quite rare for foreign experts including Dr. Howard Markel, a professor of medical history at the University of Michigan. He said it was an incredible job and had never heard of isolating so many people as a preventive measure.
The first cases of pneumonia in Wuhan appeared on December 31, 2019, and the first death occurred on January 11, 2020. The deceased was a frequent visitor to the South China Seafood Market in Wuhan. The market is regarded as the birthplace of the epidemic. On January 20, there were cases outside of China. China was accused of slow response in the early stage of the epidemic and insufficient information disclosure. However, the government responded as soon as possible. On January 23, flights and trains leaving Wuhan were cancelled, and city bus, subway and ferry operations were also suspended.
Although the Chinese-style lockdown is to prevent people from entering or leaving certain areas, and the practice has caused controversy including the government's violation of human rights, it is indeed effective and will become one of the history of human anti-epidemic.
Wuhan further strengthened its "closure" measures on February 11, and all residential communities in the city implemented closed management. Without special circumstances, residents are not allowed to go out. The government sent personnel to station at blocked entrances and exits. To meet the daily needs of a large number of people, the government mobilized manpower to supply supplies.
The local epidemic began to slow down in mid-March, and the blockade in Hubei Province began to gradually relax. On March 28, some railways in Wuhan resumed operation. On April 8, Wuhan was unblocked in the early morning, and the 76-day "blocking of the city" finally ended.
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With the experience of Wuhan, the government is more comfortable in implementing anti-epidemic and closure measures in other places. It has also adjusted tight measures in response to the situation, such as arranging people who are required to stay at home to purchase food and necessities in batches. After the outbreak of the epidemic in Beijing’s Xinfadi market in June, the government has taken the initiative and quickly implemented blockades, large-scale testing, and tracking of relevant persons. Even people passing by the market on May 30 will be tracked and asked to fill in information.
Chen Bei, deputy secretary-general of the Beijing Municipal People's Government, pointed out on July 19 that from June 11 to July 19, Beijing reported a total of 335 confirmed cases associated with the wholesale market in Xinfadi. There were no new confirmed cases in the city for 14 consecutive days, no community case reports for 16 consecutive days, no clusters of 2 or more epidemic cases in collective units and public places for 19 consecutive days, and no cases exported from other provinces and cities for 29 consecutive days. The Xinfadi wholesale market has been closed for more than two incubation periods, and 11,229 people have been released from centralized medical observation. The epidemic in the city can be said to be nearing an end.
United States: The home order is not the most stringent
The United States is currently the most severely affected country. The country had its first confirmed case on January 21, but the country’s first stay-at-home order was implemented on March 23. On the 26th, three days later, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in the United States has reached the highest number in the world.
Each state in the United States has its own anti-epidemic policy. Among them, 9 states took the lead in implementing a stay-at-home order on March 23, and several states followed suit. As of April 6, 42 states implemented a stay-at-home order.
Home orders are not as strict as the lockdown measures in other countries. The state government generally requires residents to avoid unnecessary outings and stay indoors as much as possible, but residents can still go shopping, running, walking their dogs and seeing a doctor, etc. Compared with the systematic management of population movements in blocked communities in Wuhan, China, the US measures are not the most severe.
The implementation of the stay-at-home order has stagnated some economic activities. Residents in many states began demonstrations in April, demanding that the stay-at-home order be removed and the economy restarted. President Donald Trump expressed support for the demonstrators. On April 19, he called the demonstrators who resisted the governor’s social distancing measures great people, saying that they love the United States and want to return to work.
The failure of the US federal government and state governments to unify their anti-epidemic stances may be one of the reasons why the country as a whole has not slowed down and rebounded. In addition, the United States has a vast territory and insufficient law enforcement personnel, which also increases the difficulty of implementing anti-epidemic measures.
↓↓↓If you want to see more American lives during the epidemic, please click to enlarge and watch:
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Italy: Refer to "Wuhan-style lockdown"
Italy is the first European country to implement measures similar to the "Wuhan-style lockdown". The country’s first confirmed case appeared on January 30, and the local epidemic became severe on February 21, with daily new diagnoses reaching double-digit numbers. The government signed a draft decree on the closure of the city on March 8, blocking the northern Lombardy region (Lombardy) and 14 provinces.
The law stipulates that all people are not allowed to leave the area of residence except for work, health or other emergencies. Fitness rooms, swimming pools and museums are temporarily closed. Restaurants and bars must keep customers at a distance of 1 meter before they can open from 6 am to 6 pm. Weddings, funerals and religious activities also need to be suspended. The quarantine measures have been extended to the whole country from the 10th.
Those who violate the rules face three months in prison or a fine of 206 euros. The government announced on March 24 that those diagnosed in violation of the quarantine order face a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The lockdown was originally scheduled to end on April 3, but was eventually postponed to May 3. Italy gradually restarted its economy on May 4, and shops and restaurants reopened on the 18th. People can move freely in the district from the 18th and can travel across the district from June 3. International travel to and from Italy began to resume on June 3. Passengers from other EU countries will not need to be isolated after entering the country.
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South Korea: Delimit special control areas
South Korea reported its first case of new coronary pneumonia on January 20. The patient was a woman from Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. Since February 4, South Korea has announced that foreigners who have visited Hubei Province in the past 14 days are prohibited from entering the country. South Koreans visiting China must be isolated after returning home. However, since the outbreak of the epidemic in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, the government has tightened measures and designated them as "special control areas" with high-strength prevention and control measures, but they will not be completely closed.
The initial focus of the government's epidemic prevention was to prevent the virus from flowing in from abroad. It was accused of insufficient early warning and affected the judgment of the people. In late February, more than 80% of South Korean cases were concentrated in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, and most of them were related to the "Sincheonji Church" Daegu Church. The government tracks the whereabouts of the believers and arranges for them to be isolated at home. Later, it was decided to conduct a virus test for all members of the church nationwide, about 215,000 people.
Hong Yipiao, the spokesperson of the Democratic Party of the ruling party, said on February 25 that the government should adopt "super blockade measures" in Daegu, where the epidemic was the worst. Rebound. He explained afterwards that this was an anti-epidemic network to block the spread of the epidemic in the community, not a "Wuhan-style lockdown," nor any form of prohibiting people from entering or leaving. President Moon Jae-in also added that he will not implement a regional blockade and will only do his best to prevent the spread of the epidemic.
South Korea has not implemented a large-scale compulsory lockdown like Wuhan. The Minister of Health and Welfare Park Linghou stated that South Korea is a democratic country, and the government believes that respecting people’s freedom and asking them to actively cooperate is more effective than compulsory blockade. After the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) epidemic in 2015, the government understood the importance of collecting epidemic information as much as possible, and then cooperated with the policy of identifying patients and isolating them as soon as possible to fight the epidemic.
Therefore, the government has set up a large number of drive-through virus detection stations, launched a mobile phone application to track patients, arranged special clinics to deal with patients with milder illnesses, and also cooperated with private companies to accelerate the development of virus detection tools. There have been infection groups in Seoul Itaewon nightclub and Seoul Logistics Center in the country. The government still uses the above policy to isolate patients and close contacts as soon as possible. As of July 20, the country had 26 new cases, the lowest number of new cases in a single day since June 22.
↓↓↓If you want to see more of the lives of the Korean people during the epidemic, please click to enlarge and watch:
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United Kingdom: "Mending wok style" banned foot
The "closing of the city" in the United Kingdom can be said to be the "repair" operation after it was called the "Buddhist anti-epidemic".
On January 31, the Ministry of Health announced the first two confirmed cases in the country. The two patients were from the same Chinese family. Later, more and more cases appeared, and people from all walks of life called on the government to order the cancellation of large-scale public events and suspension of classes. At a press conference on March 12, Prime Minister Boris Johnson only announced that those with symptoms such as fever and persistent cough would self-isolate at home for a week. In addition, the idea of achieving the goal of "herd immunity" has also become a hot topic in the country. Therefore, some voices believe that the British anti-epidemic method is quite "Buddha".
The government announced on March 18 that classes will be suspended from March 20. The general secondary education diploma and college entrance examinations originally scheduled to be held from May to June will also be suspended. It was decided to close all bars, restaurants, theaters, theaters and fitness rooms nationwide on March 20. Johnson announced a three-week ban on all people on March 23. Except for basic necessities, exercise, medical needs, or necessary work, people are not allowed to leave their homes, and all shops selling non-essential goods will be closed.
The British royal family said on March 25 that Crown Prince Charles (Prince Charles) was diagnosed. Johnson also announced his diagnosis on March 27, and was later transferred to the Intensive Care Unit for treatment and was discharged from hospital on April 12.
The government decided on April 16 to extend the ban for at least three weeks. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland decided in early May to extend their social distancing policy until the end of May. The confirmed cases in Leicester later picked up again, and the government announced on June 30 that the city would be closed again. The epidemic later showed signs of easing, and the government approved the reopening of bars, restaurants and hair salons in England starting on July 4.
↓↓↓If you want to see more of the lives of the British people during the epidemic, please click to enlarge and watch:
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