Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
China Delays Its Most Important Political Gathering For First Time In Decades As Outbreak Continues To Grow
The Washington Post: China Delays Key Political Meetings As Xi Warns Of Crisis; Wuhan Backtracks On Easing Restrictions
China’s leaders postponed the biggest event on their political calendar, the National People’s Congress, as the country’s battle against the deadly coronavirus outbreak disrupts the ruling Communist Party’s agenda and hammers the domestic economy. Officials said Monday the key political meetings, originally due to take place from March 5, would be rescheduled. Analysts said the government in Beijing was worried about the optics of holding a large-scale public event while others lived under lockdown and thousands were sick. (Taylor, 2/24)
ABC News: China Postpones Annual Parliament Session For 1st Time In Decades Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
As of Monday, China's National Health Commission said it has received 77,150 reports of confirmed cases and 2,592 deaths on the Chinese mainland. More than 83% of the cases and all but one death were in Hubei province, where the outbreak emerged in its capital, Wuhan, back in December. Chinese authorities have since placed the city under lockdown. (Winsor, 2/24)
South China Morning Post: Coronavirus Is China’s Fastest-Spreading Health Crisis, Xi Jinping Says
In a meeting on an unprecedented scale, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the coronavirus epidemic was the country’s most serious public health crisis and promised more pro-growth policies to help overcome it. According to state news agency Xinhua, Xi’s address via teleconference on Sunday was open to every county government and every military regiment throughout the country. He said the epidemic was “the fastest spreading, with the most infected and was the most difficult to prevent and control” since the founding of the People’s Republic. (Zheng, 2/23)
The Hill: Xi Defends China's Efforts To Stop 'Grim And Complex' Coronavirus Epidemic
Chinese President Xi Jinping defended China’s efforts to contain the “grim and complex” coronavirus epidemic in the country Sunday. The Chinese president addressed officials leading anti-disease efforts in a video conference calling for them to take more steps to prevent the virus, revitalize the economy and stop the disease from affecting the planting of spring crops, according to the the Xinhua News Agency, The Associated Press reported. (Coleman, 2/23)
The New York Times: Religious Groups In China Step Into The Coronavirus Crisis
Earlier this month, the hard-hit town of Caohe, near the center of the coronavirus outbreak in central China, received an unexpected gift: a large donation from a Taoist nunnery 550 miles away. Another Taoist temple, this one in Caohe itself, contributed tens of thousands of dollars worth of medical equipment to help those sickened by the virus. “The moment believers heard the news, they called us and asked how to help,” said a nun who organized one of the fund-raising drives. (Johnson, 2/23)
The New York Times: Coronavirus Lockdowns Torment An Army Of Poor Migrant Workers In China
Clutching a gray plastic suitcase filled with most of his belongings — a blanket, a toothbrush, a pair of white sneakers and a comb — Wang Sheng goes from factory to factory in southern China begging for a job. The answer is always no. Mr. Wang, 49, used to be able to find work in Shenzhen, a sprawling industrial megacity. But factories are turning him away because he is from Hubei Province, the center of China’s coronavirus epidemic, even though he hasn’t lived there in years. (Hernandez, 2/23)
The New York Times: For China’s Overwhelmed Doctors, An Understanding Voice Across The Ocean
A nurse called the 24-hour hotline to complain about a constant headache. A doctor said he was feeling ostracized by the public, even as he worked to save patients from the epidemic. One caller said she was feeling suicidal. The volunteers at Yong Xin Kang Yi (“Use your heart to fight the virus”), a crisis line established for the overworked, overstressed medical staff on the front lines of the coronavirus outbreak in China, listen to it all. (Kwai, 2/23)
NBC News: Lockdowns To Curb Coronavirus Epidemic Lead To A Rise In Mental Health Issues
Zhang Meng, a college student from Changchun, in China's eastern Jilin province, was concerned that her sudden weight loss was related to fear and anxiety over the coronavirus outbreak sweeping the country. So she called a hotline offering mental health assistance. (Baculinao, Shi, Wu and Talmazan, 2/23)
Los Angeles Times: China's Coronavirus Conundrum: Stay Home, Don't Get Sick, Get Back To Work!
It wasn’t that Cai didn’t want to go back to work. The small factory owner had been anxious to get his 40 or so employees back to business, making electronic wires for sound systems, phone chargers and earphones. But the list of required documents to reopen his factory in Shenzhen in southeastern China was staggering: application for return to work, temperature records for every employee, protective equipment supply and distribution charts, records of workers’ travel, factory disinfection and inspection chart, case files on every employee’s disease prevention training. (Su, 2/21)
