The mayor of a Chinese city ravaged by a new deadly virus has admitted that his government withheld information about an outbreak from the public.
Zhou Xianwang, the mayor of Wuhan, confessed that his team had not released information about the situation 'in time'. He also said that the city was seeing human-to-human transmission of the novel coronavirus 'on a large scale'.
The revelations came after Mr Zhou yesterday disclosed that around five million Wuhan residents had left the city before it went into lockdown last Thursday.
The coronavirus epidemic has killed at least 81 people - all in China - and caused illness in more than 2,800.
Zhou Xianwang, the mayor of Wuhan, confessed that his team had not released information about the situation 'in time' during an interview with state broadcaster CCTV today
The health crisis has led the authorities to quarantine at least 56 million people living in central China's Hubei Province and cancel Lunar New Year festivities around the country.
Mr Wu, 56, made the latest comments to state broadcaster CCTV today after being widely accused of covering up the truth of the epidemic.
The official explained that his government would need to receive authorisation from high above before making any announcement regarding the novel coronavirus.
Zhou Xianwang, the mayor of Wuhan, confessed that his team had not released information about the situation 'in time' during an interview with state broadcaster CCTV today
'On one hand, we did not reveal [information] in time; on the other, we did not use effective information to improve our work to a satisfactory level,' Mr Zhou said during the interview which was live-streamed online.
The mayor hoped the public could understand his government's decision.
He said: 'Regarding the untimely disclosure, [I] hope everyone can understand. [Coronavirus] is a contagious disease. Contagious diseases have relevant law and information needs to be disclosed according to law.'
The health crisis has led the authorities to quarantine at least 56 million people living in China's Hubei Province. Members of a military medical team are pictured heading for Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital, where most of the coronavirus patients are being looked after, on January 26
He then explained the restriction his government faced.
'As [the head of] a local government, after I receive the information, [I] can only release it after being authorised. [Many people] could not understand this at the time,' he said.
Mr Zhou added that he and the Communist Party Secretary of Wuhan were willing to resign in exchange for forgiveness from the public.
Wuhan mayor Zhou Xianwang admitted withholding information of the coronavirus after being widely accused of covering up the truth of the epidemic. A military medical worker is pictured taking over the work from a medical worker at Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital on January 26
China has expanded sweeping efforts to contain the viral disease by extending the Lunar New Year holiday to keep the public at home and avoid spreading infection as the death toll doubled over the weekend to 81.
Hong Kong announced it would bar entry to visitors from the province at the centre of the outbreak following a warning the virus's ability to spread was growing. Travel agencies were ordered to cancel group tours nationwide, adding to the rising economic cost.
China has expanded sweeping efforts to contain the viral disease by extending the Lunar New Year holiday to keep the public at home and avoid spreading infection as the death toll soars
Increasingly drastic anti-disease efforts began with the January 22 suspension of plane, train and bus links to Wuhan, a city of 11 million people in central China where the virus was first detected last month. That lockdown has expanded to a total of 17 cities with more than 50 million people in the most far-reaching disease-control measures ever imposed.
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This article first appeared on Daily Mail.
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