Thread by @aparanjape

China's inaction for 3 days in January at root of pandemic

"In the days before Wuhan was locked down on Jan. 23, as many as 5 million of its 11 million citizens had already left the city, as the mayor and others have testified."

asia.nikkei.com/Editor-s-Picks… (via @ShankkarAiyar)

"The Chinese government locked down Wuhan on Jan. 23, halting all public transportation going in and out of the city. The following day an order was issued suspending group travel within China."

#COVID19 #coronavirus

"But in a blunder that would have far reaching consequences, China did not issue an order suspending group travel to foreign countries until three days later, on Jan. 27.

In retrospect, it was a painful mistake. This is what happened in those critical three days:"

"The weeklong Lunar New Year string of holidays began on Jan. 24, with the outbound traffic peak lasting through Jan. 27.

The Chinese government let the massive exodus of group travelers continue despite the public health crisis. No explanation has been given."

"Chinese travelers journeyed to Japan, South Korea, Italy, Spain, France, the U.K., Australia, N America and S America, one planeload after another.

This was happening while many restaurants in China were unable to open for business due to the outbreak."

asia.nikkei.com/Editor-s-Picks…