The virus goes global
The coronavirus outbreak intensified this week as cases were reported around the world. By Wednesday, more than 24,000 diagnoses had been confirmed, with 490 deaths from the disease reported. The vast majority were in China, but there were also confirmed cases in 25 countries, including the UK, Australia, Germany and the US. China said it would pump billions into its economy as the virus hit oil prices and global markets. Across China, shops were closed and factories suspended production, while airlines including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic cancelled flights to and from the country.
In the first confirmed cases in Britain, a
Chinese student and a relative were diagnosed after falling ill at York hotel. More than 100 Britons were flown home from Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, and placed in quarantine. The UK Government urged the estimated 30,000 Britons in China to “leave the country if they can”.
What the editorials said
The World Health Organisation has declared “a global health emergency”, said The Times. The virus, known as 2019nCoV, ( see page 13) has spread far beyond China and a vaccine is still at least six months away. The number of cases already exceeds the total during the Sars outbreak of 2002-3, but the actual figure may be higher; not everyone with the virus – which gives people flu-like symptoms and can lead to pneumonia – will know they are carriers. “The growing crisis has inspired panic,” said The New York Times. Cities the world over are braced for outbreaks, and in China alone, some 56 million people have effectively been quarantined.
“The world has never responded to a disease more rapidly,” said The Economist. But this one will still take an economic toll. China, which accounts for a fifth of global output, could see its first quarter growth fall to just 2%, from 6% before the outbreak. Share prices have plummeted and optimism has crumbled. “China’s grim new reality is that everything, economic policy included, revolves around the question of how to beat the virus.”
What the commentators said
The outbreak has not yet been declared a pandemic, because its spread outside China has been limited and slow. But it may just be a matter of time, said Donald G. McNeil Jr in The New York Times. The virus seems to be spreading like influenza, transmitting itself between humans much faster than, say, Sars. Cases are soaring and the virus’s apparent fatality rate – about 2% – is 100 times that of the 2009 swine flu epidemic, which killed up to 280,000. “The prospect is daunting.” It’s too early to say if this is the next “Big One”, said Jennifer Rohn in The Guardian. Whatever happens, it’s a wake-up call. In an age of super-cities and ever-increasing global travel, such outbreaks are becoming more frequent. Chinese wildlife markets, where a range of live animals are sold, have long been a “breeding ground” for viruses – yet China has only now announced a temporary ban. The US has heavily cut funding for epidemic prevention. Most experts admit that the world is “just not ready for the next highly lethal pandemic”. And the “scapegoating” has already begun, said Jeff Yang on CNN. Many Asians are being viewed suspiciously – and some have even taken to coughing loudly in public “just to see who’s racist”.
“The true contagion is in China’s political system,” said Roger Boyes in The Times. Although far more effective than its reaction to Sars, Beijing’s response has still been woeful; officials have been muzzled, doctors detained for “rumour-mongering”, and social media censored. President Xi wanted to show that the state could tackle a crisis. Now, in week eight, the death toll rises daily and his authority wanes. Chinese people “simply don’t believe their government”, said David Ignatius in The Washington Post. Just as all success is attached to Xi, “so is every failure”. We now see how the world’s newest superpower can stumble. But China’s problems are ours too, said Rana Foroohar in the FT. It drives a third of global growth; more than the US, Europe and Japan combined. We could now see the first global slowdown led by China.
What next?
The UK Government has chartered a final flight to fly more British nationals back from Wuhan on Sunday. About 165 Britons are reported to remain in the region, and 108 are thought to have asked the Foreign Office for help.
From Saturday, Hong Kong will impose a mandatory 14-day quarantine on all visitors from mainland China, while Taiwan is also considering travel restrictions. Many firms in China hoped to resume production next week, but major car companies, including Nissan, were considering extending a shutdown.