The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) by artificially reporting zero or near zero infection counts, has been able to portray itself as having gotten the coronavirus under control. However, Li Keqiang, China’s Premier, gave a different voice. He asked officials not to hide the data about the infection and to prepare for a long-lasting fight with the pandemic.
Li made these statements on March 23 at a meeting of the Central Committee’s Novel Coronavirus Epidemic Prevention and Control Leading Group, of which he is the head.
Li said, “Being open and transparent means to report every case, whenever each government finds one. It is what it is. Do not hide or under-report cases.”
Li also said that epidemiology experts, both Chinese and overseas, have established various models to predict the pandemic’s trend. The general belief is that the pandemic is unlikely to disappear suddenly like SARS did. Therefore, people must be prepared for more arduous and lasting epidemic prevention and control work.
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Excerpt in Chinese:
“各地要实事求是、公开透明发布疫情信息。” 中共中央政治局常委、国务院总理、中央应对新冠肺炎疫情工作领导小组组长李克强3月23日在领导小组会议上强调，“实事求是是指有针对性地做好防控，一旦发现疫情，第一时间进行精准管控，把病例和可能传播的场所控制在有效范围；公开透明就是指发现一例报告一例，是什么就是什么，不得瞒报漏报。”
李克强指出，当前，以武汉市为主战场的全国本土疫情传播已基本阻断，但零星散发病例和局部暴发疫情的风险仍然存在，加之疫情在全球出现大流行，形势依然复杂严峻。国内外流行病学专家通过建立各类数据模型，对疫情走势进行科学研判，普遍认为，此次疫情不大可能像当年SARS那样突然消失。因此，我们必须做好更加艰巨、更加持久的疫情防控思想准备。
“从当前疫情形势看，国内外专家们的分析是有科学依据的。”总理说，“这为我们防控工作提出了更加严峻的挑战。虽然目前国内本土疫情传播已基本阻断，但这并不意味着零星散发病例就不再出现。必须把‘早发现、早报告、早隔离、早治疗’的防控措施落实到位，坚决遏制疫情在局部、甚至更大范围再次爆发。”
李克强指出，目前全国大部分地区连续数日新增确诊病例零报告，这当然是人民群众期盼的。但要切记，疫情统计数据一定要及时真实准确，千万不能为追求零报告而瞒报漏报。
Source: China’s Government Website, March 24, 2020
http://www.gov.cn/xinwen/2020-03/24/content_5494917.htm