A leading Beijing doctor has warned that people returning to China, after it was reported that the country had claimed to be recovering from the outbreak, could trigger a second outbreak after the country was effectively paralyzed at the start of the year.
According to The Daily Mail, one of China’s top coronavirus experts has warned that the country could experience round two of quarantines and shut downs after people began falling ill after coming into contact with people who returned from abroad.
A man in Guangzhou fell ill after coming into contact with a person who had recently returned from Turkey–which was the first recorded case caught from somebody returning to the country.
Speaking to People’s Daily, local health experts said: “Cases related to imported cases are the second-generation cases brought in from abroad. It means the close contacts of [the imported cases] have been transmitted and fallen ill.”
Professor Li Lanjuan, 73, said that she was very “very worried that imported cases could trigger another large-scale epidemic in our country.”
Speaking to China News, she said: “This requires us to continue to intensify our efforts and work tirelessly to prevent the coronavirus pneumonia epidemic from spreading in other cities.”
The worrying remarks come at a time where whistleblowers in China have been silenced, threatened, and have even vanished.
The late Dr Li Wenliang, who was one of the first medical professionals to notice the emergence of a SARS-like virus in a Wuhan patient, was gagged and reprimanded with a misdemeanor from police for talking about the presence of this new disease on a WeChat group.
A high profile tycoon has gone missing since he criticized China’s “clownish” approach at tackling the spread of Covid-19.
In an interview with People’s Daily, said: “The mission in Wuhan has not been accomplished, and there are still many critical patients. Furthermore, I think the current situation in our country is very tough.
“[I am] very worried that imported cases could trigger another large-scale epidemic in our country.
“Can we make every effort to guard our country and prevent another epidemic from happening? This is a tough challenge.”
