UAE Press: China deserves the world's support

ABU DHABI, 31st January, 2020 (WAM) -- A UAE newspaper has said that Beijing has been praised for its efforts to contain the outbreak but its people "need our sympathy and help."

In an editorial on the outbreak of Coronavirus, The National said, "In the quarantined Chinese metropolis of Wuhan this week, otherwise-empty streets have been filled with the spirited shouts of residents. Advised to stay at home for fear of spreading the new strain of coronavirus that emerged in the city this month, thousands of Wuhanese have stood on the terraces of their apartments, yelling: 'Stay strong, Wuhan!'."

It is a show of unity cutting through an atmosphere of alarm, the paper added "Chinese authorities have taken significant measures to contain the epidemic, including a ban on transport in Wuhan and a lockdown of Hubei province. Beijing has also shared data with other countries and worked with international institutions such as the WHO to help counter this threat. As stated by the World Health Organisation’s director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, such efforts have helped to limit the international spread of the virus outside China to 68 cases and no deaths so far."

The paper continued, "There is an inherent sense of disconnection in any decision to quarantine or isolate. But it is important to remember that such measures are limited to physical contact, and in the service of a greater, collective effort. They should not detract from the fundamental lesson of epidemics, which is that we are all in this together. In the words of Dr Ghebreyesus, China "needs the world's solidarity and support" to fight coronavirus.

The paper underlined the importance of doubling efforts to heal as fractures appear and wounds deepen: "Lessons must be learnt, and immunity must be built. This is something doctors know well, but of which many global political leaders often need reminding. The citizens of Wuhan and China have rallied around each another to alleviate the sense of panic that comes with an unseen threat. For coronavirus, and other more visible dangers, too, we should all be taking to our own terraces, so to speak, and shouting for solidarity alongside them."

WAM/Hatem Mohamed

Source: Emirates News Agency