Last Updated on March 12, 2020
China was the first country hit with coronavirus after it emerged in the city of Wuhan and was then spread in a market where bush meat was sold, and the country is now releasing what has been described as propaganda videos showing “doctors and nurses” taking “off their masks” after the country has reportedly ended the crisis.
The Global Times, a Chinese state run newspaper that is seen as the official outlet of the Communist Party, released the video on Wednesday.
“Hi, let me remember your face,” reads the caption of the video. “Doctors and nurses take off their masks after the closure of the last makeshift hospital in Wuhan Tuesday.”
“More than 12,000 #COVID19 patients have received treatment in makeshift hospitals in Wuhan.”
The video, originally posted to TikTok, a China-owned social media company, shows smiling doctors and nurses unmasking themselves while optimistic children sing in an accompanying audio track.
Hi, let me remember your face: Doctors and nurses take off their masks after the closure of the last makeshift hospital in Wuhan Tuesday. More than 12,000 #COVID19 patients have received treatment in makeshift hospitals in Wuhan. pic.twitter.com/f3ar3qh3Pm
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) March 11, 2020
National File extensively reported on possible propaganda coming out of China since the virus emerged in the Middle Kingdom.
In February, when several of the country’s massive cities were still locked down in a quarantine, Chinese state media released videos of robots delivering critical supplies, both on the street and inside hospitals.
While China’s state media attempts to portray the country’s reaction to coronavirus positively, some of the videos are more cause for alarm than calm.
On February 11, China released a video of an unmanned vehicle driving through empty city streets to deliver medical supplies.
People’s Daily, a state run newspaper commissioned by the Communist Party, tweeted “Unmanned technology brings its talent into the battle against #2019nCoV. In central China’s Wuhan, autonomous vehicles delivered medical supplies.”
The video reveals that the automated delivery vehicles are transporting emergency supplies to markets in the quarantined city.
Later in February, the People’s Daily, another state affiliated publication in China, released a video of coronavirus patients dancing awkwardly in a makeshift hospital:
The video shows patients at a temporary hospital in Wuhan shuffling around and waving their arms to Chinese music at an apparent impromptu dance event led by a medical team in hazmat gear.
“Virus can’t put out the passion for life!” the video was captioned. “Video shows #coronavirus infected patients with mild syndromes isolated in a temporary hospital in #Wuhan taking up dancing.”
In January, National File famously broke the story that China was dishonestly using stock photos from Alibaba when referring to its new, makeshift hospitals:
“1st building of #Wuhan‘s special novel #Coronavirus hospital, Huoshenshan Hospital, completed construction on Monday, in 16 hours,” the tweet read. “It is expected to be transferred to the military for management on February 2. Another Leishenshan Hospital is also under construction.”
The tweet was quickly scrutinized by people who noticed that the image of Huoshenshan Hospital provided by Global Times is actually an Alibaba stock photo for a portable “container school building.”
The images have been available on the internet months prior to the tweet by Global Times celebrating a new “hospital.”
China has now threatened to disrupt the United States access to critical medical supplies if the United States should seek further sanctions or travel bans against China.
