Beijing Is Tapping Its Traditional Propaganda Playbook, But Coronavirus Is Cracking Party’s Stronghold
The official messaging from China's government is struggling to overcome the anger that's been boiling up on social media about how the party's leaders failed to handle the coronavirus outbreak. In other news out of China: new cases continue to drop, telemedicine comes in handy, medical workers are burning out, and more.
The New York Times:
Coronavirus Weakens China’s Powerful Propaganda Machine
Exhausted medical workers with faces lined from hours of wearing goggles and surgical masks. Women with shaved heads, a gesture of devotion. Retirees who donate their life savings anonymously in government offices. Beijing is tapping its old propaganda playbook as it battles the relentless coronavirus outbreak, the biggest challenge to its legitimacy in decades. State media is filling smartphones and airwaves with images and tales of unity and sacrifice aimed at uniting the people behind Beijing’s rule. It even briefly offered up cartoon mascots named Jiangshan Jiao and Hongqi Man, characters meant to stir patriotic feelings among the young during the crisis. (Yuan, 2/26)
The Wall Street Journal:
New Cases Drop In China As Virus Spreads Globally
The number of new coronavirus cases in China dropped dramatically in recent days outside the province at the center of the epidemic, but health authorities raised alarms about sharp increases in infections elsewhere in the world. The number of new cases outside Hubei dropped to just nine on Monday, Chinese authorities said, a marked decrease from the peak of nearly 900 new cases that were recorded Feb. 3. (Cheng and Russolillo, 2/25)
Reuters:
Worried Chinese Turn To Online Doctor Consultations Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
Spooked by a sneeze or a cough, Chinese consumers are turning to online consultations in droves for advice about possible coronavirus symptoms - a boon for a fledgling industry that has struggled to win over customers. Due to the epidemic, hundreds of millions of Chinese are stuck at home due to quarantine restrictions imposed by authorities or companies. Even if not under quarantine, many are too worried to venture for long outside or to visit a hospital for other ailments as they fear they might catch the highly contagious virus. (2/26)
The New York Times:
Shaved Heads, Adult Diapers: Life As A Nurse In The Coronavirus Outbreak
Zhang Wendan and her family were celebrating the Lunar New Year when the 27-year-old nurse got a notice from the hospital: report back to work and join the battle to contain the coronavirus outbreak. Ms. Zhang lives in Huanggang, in Hubei Province, where the virus originated. Two days earlier officials had sealed off her city in a desperate attempt to stop it from spreading. Her mother quietly cried while Ms. Zhang and her fiancé went to her room to pack for her trip. The experience at the hospital, Ms. Zhang says, has been harrowing, especially as a woman. (Stevenson, 2/26)
Los Angeles Times:
Health Workers Fighting Coronavirus In China Die Of Infection, Fatigue
Sudden pain pierced through the anonymity of hazmat suits and protective masks as a woman in full medical gear chased a black funeral van, letting out a faceless howl. Her husband, Liu Zhiming, director of Wuhan’s Wuchang Hospital and a respected neurosurgeon who’d led the institution’s coronavirus response, was inside the vehicle. A video of the anguished moment went viral, showing Liu’s wife, Cai Liping, a nurse who had been on the front lines with him, staggering forward, arms outstretched, watching as his corpse was driven away to be cremated. (Su, 2/25)
The Wall Street Journal:
Hong Kong, Hit By Coronavirus And Protests, To Hand Out Billions Of Dollars In Cash
Hong Kong’s government said it would dole out $15.4 billion in cash payouts and other stimulus in its annual budget in an attempt to resuscitate an economy reeling from the coronavirus epidemic and months of antigovernment protests. The city will give each of its adult permanent residents 10,000 Hong Kong dollars ($1,284) in cash—a $9 billion combined payout—and slash salaries tax for close to two million workers, Financial Secretary Paul Chan said Wednesday. He also announced tax breaks and financial aid for companies. (Leong and Wang, 2/26)
WBUR:
What Happens If You're Critically Ill In China — But Not With Coronavirus
Victor Yu is not one of the more than 2,500 people who the Chinese government says were killed by the coronavirus. The 47-year-old resident of Wuhan, epicenter of the outbreak, died Feb. 19 from complications related to renal carcinoma, a common type of kidney cancer. But his family believes that his untimely death is likely related to the coronavirus outbreak. (Feng and Cheng, 2/25)
