China expands coronavirus outbreak lockdown to 56 million people

Al Jazeera ^ | 3 hours ago | Al Jazeera and news agencies

[Zhang Fei]

China has expanded its lockdown on more cities, restricting movement to an unprecedented 56 million people as it rushes to build a prefabricated, 1,000-bed hospital for victims, while the death toll from the outbreak continues to rise, casting a pall over Lunar New Year, the country's biggest and most festive holiday.

The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus across China climbed sharply to more than 1,287, with at least 41 deaths reported as of Saturday morning.

At least five cases are also reported in Hong Kong, two in Macau, and three cases in Taiwan.

Worldwide, there are a total of 1,321 confirmed coronavirus infections, according to Al Jazeera's count, with cases also reported in Japan (2), Thailand (5), South Korea (2), United States (2), Australia (1), France (3) Malaysia (3), Singapore (3), Nepal (1), and Vietnam (2).

As the death toll continues to rise, the National Health Commission announced on Saturday nationwide measures to identify suspected cases of the deadly virus on trains, aeroplanes and buses.

Inspection stations will be set up and passengers with suspected pneumonia must be "immediately transported" to a medical centre, the statement said.

In the southern city of Haikou, the city government also announced that that it will start a 14-day centralised medical observation for all tourists coming from Hubei province, the epicentre of the virus.

Tourists from Hubei, especially from Wuhan city, are not allowed to leave the hotel where the medical observation will be held during the 14-day period, the announcement said.

At least 450 military additional medical staff were deployed to Hubei to help with the treatment.

Meanwhile, Australian authorities on Saturday confirmed its first case of the deadly infection.

In a news conference in Melbourne, Victoria's state Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said a Chinese man aged in his 50s who last

[Zhang Fei]

At this rate, the lockdown is gonna extend to the entire country.

[867V309]

if chinese international travel is banned, well, doo-da-doo-da.

[pepsionice]

It’ll be curious to see how grocery operations work, and if food shortages start up next week. You could see massive riots within ten days if the shutdowns continue.

[LukeL]

A crisis like this is a perfect pretext for Winnie the Pooh to enact extreme executive powers and completely lock-down the country. The other factor is declaring currency is spreading the illness and institute digital currency via their social ranking system.

[867V309]

and if food shortages start up next week...

chicken little

[Zhang Fei]

[A crisis like this is a perfect pretext for Winnie the Pooh to enact extreme executive powers and completely lock-down the country.]

---

While his title is President (and more importantly, Chairman of the Central Military Commission aka Commander-in-Chief), Xi Jinping is basically an emperor, meaning he can literally have *anyone* summarily executed. This crisis potentially weakens him rather than makes him more powerful. Troop movements can be utilized for purposes other than carrying out the head honcho’s orders. But it would take a mixture of daring and skill reminiscent of Yeltsin’s ascent to power. Even Beria had to wait until Stalin was dead (although he was rumored to have poisoned Uncle Joe) before making his move. And Beria lost out to Khrushchev.

[Spktyr]

Food shortages in *China* are highly likely as a result - remember, quarantines are supposed to be absolute, no farmer is going to be delivering fresh food from outside the quarantine zone. Even in China, food is delivered in a Just In Time plan.

Hope the Chinese have huge stockpiles of air droppable rations; they may need them.

[HK_Kai_Chung]

Came across this live coverage in another thread. I've been listening to it for a few hours. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ugxkt9bHwk

[drop 50 and fire for effect]

Correct, while Mr. Xi is the most powerful person in the party, he is still part of an oligarchy, not an absolute ruler. Other people want his jobs or fear a cult of personality. A crisis like this, If mishandled, makes him vulnerable.

Worst case, unlikely but possible, is that this is so botched, that the mishandling of this undermines the party’s legitimacy and triggers open conflict between factions/regions.

[Patriot Babe]

or perhaps anything that would taste like chicken. Ever since this virus broke out and to learn what they eat. I lost all appetite for Chinese food. LOL

[jmcenanly]

Is this you going to be China’s Chernobyl? Their poor handling of this disaster reminds me of how the Soviets handled that nuclear disaster in 1986.

[null and void]

Bring Out Your Dead

Post to me or FReep mail to be on/off the Bring Out Your Dead ping list.

The purpose of the “Bring Out Your Dead” ping list (formerly the “Ebola” ping list) is very early warning of emerging pandemics, as such it has a high false positive rate.

So far the false positive rate is 100%.

At some point we may well have a high mortality pandemic, and likely as not the “Bring Out Your Dead” threads will miss the beginning entirely.

*sigh* Such is life, and death...

If a quarantine saves just one child's life, it's worth it.

[Tax-chick]

Good morning, nully. 56 million is an astounding figure.

[null and void]

Only a billion or so to go yo quarantine the whole country.

[Bobibutu]

You may find this interesting and informative:
This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

http://www.generationaldynamics.com/pg/ww2010.weblog.htm#e200125

China’s coronavirus spreads across China and around the world
Xi Jinping may lose the Mandate from Heaven

[Tax-chick]

Good point.

Don’t forget to get some sleep!

[HighSierra5]

Are bats kosher?

[Zhang Fei]

[Correct, while Mr. Xi is the most powerful person in the party, he is still part of an oligarchy, not an absolute ruler. ]

---

Even absolute rulers weren’t necessarily able to do anything they wanted all the time. They were constrained by potential mutiny by powerful members (in their own right) of the imperial clan, influential courtiers, wealthy members of the gentry/aristocracy and military commanders appointed as self-sufficient viceroys to fend off significant foreign or domestic threats.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yongle_Emperor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhao_Gao
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cao_Cao
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Lushan

Mao was as powerful an emperor figure as China has ever had. And yet he failed to have Deng Xiaoping killed, protected as Deng was by a powerful regional military commander.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ye_Jianying

[Drago]

Good worldwide map of officially reported “2019-nCoV” cases here:

https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html

Take the “official” case count from China with a grain of salt...the CCP is known to underreport cases, they got caught in 2002-2004 vastly underreporting SARS cases.

The map link came from a Crypto (ie. Bitcoin, etc.) YouTuber in Hong Kong I follow: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxODjeUwZHk3p-7TU-IsDOA

[wastoute]

China has 1-2 Billion of “excess population”. China invents new virus. Virus “escapes”. China loses 1 Billion in excess population. Now China is greatest nation on earth.