Time for virus vigilance, not celebration

As China emerges from the first phase of Covid-19 many are feeling triumphant, but with the disease spreading rapidly throughout the world and a second wave expected the battle is far from over

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A person wearing a face mask walks past a face mask advertisement in Beijing. Photo: EPA-EFE

Alex Lo

Alex Lo has been an SCMP columnist since 2012, covering major issues affecting Hong Kong and the rest of China.

Published: 9:15pm, 25 Mar 2020Updated: 11:27pm, 25 Mar 2020

Triumphalism is in the air among many Chinese, including yours truly. China may have started the Covid-19 pandemic, but it is also the first to emerge from its first wave of attack, after much nationwide hardship and discipline.

Now, the virus has spread to most other countries; some already devastated by the first wave. So, there may be a sense among mainland Chinese – and also many Hongkongers, though they may not share the same nationalistic pride – that they are now ahead of the game.

That belief would be a serious mistake as it would cause them to let their guard down just as experts warn that a second wave of viral spread is around the corner.

The problem with the central government is that it wants to quickly restart the economy, which has hit its worst slowdown since reform was launched in the late 1970s.

It also wants to bolster the prestige and power of President Xi Jinping, who has been given credit for the successful fight against the disease while bureaucrats and public security bosses in Wuhan and Hubei province took the fall, perhaps deservedly.