First Reactions of Chinese State Organizations

Rumors first circulated in late December by doctors and researchers who disseminated information about the virus on social media apps like WeChat and Weibo. On the days leading to the Lunar New Year, the Wuhan Public Security Bureau began to actually detain those “spreading rumors” about the unknown virus. Quoting the President of the PRC, Xi Jinping, state-owned news organizations encouraged Chinese internet users to “jointly build a harmonious, clear and bright cyberspace,” demonstrating clear government efforts to contain news and press about the virus.

Since then, many earlier whistleblowers and witnesses of the virus, like those quoted above, have gone on to speak out about the inadequacy of the local and state government's early steps, and how a lack of transparency with Chinese residents had a clear impact on the virus' spread and public understanding. Doctors and victims to the virus have expressed that earlier action and transparency would have mitigated and prevented the geographical spread of the virus, as residents would have been able to self-contain much sooner than when lockdown measures were implemented.

As shown here, several media outlets outside of China were quick to report the news of an unknown pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan as soon as news of it broke in late December. All three of these news articles covered what little information they had, many speculating what the virus was. Many thought it was linked to SARS, with which China had dealt with extensively in the early 2000s, but little was truly known. In fact, all three of the articles below claim the virus may be tied to SARS, which was later found out to be somewhat true, as the viruses are in the same family. It would not be another three weeks until the city was officially put on lockdown, providing ample time for travel in and out of the region, further spreading the virus outside of the Hubei province.