An in depth look at Chinese response, and the response to the Chinese.
Canada was the same: Shanghai is only two hours from Wuhan and had no time to prepare or plan, yet it had only a few hundred infections and only 7 deaths. Canada, with a population similar to Shanghai, 10,000 kms from Wuhan and with months to prepare, had more infections and fatalities than all of China combined
The same could easily be said of the UK, despite weeks of the WHO pleading daily with European countries to prepare and get ready… We couldn’t have been less prepared. But I think that was our initial plan, to “take it in the chin”.
Also
To a foreigner watching from the inside, the Chinese government and the Chinese people were courageous as they took on this formidable task. From the very beginning they put people’s lives and health first. The Central Government mobilised the entire nation, organised massive control and treatment mechanisms, and acted with openness and transparency, with most of the population making significant sacrifices without complaint
Putting “people’s lives and health first” - exactly.