Lancet urges learning from China’s experience to fight against COVID-19 pandemic

10:28, March 28, 2020

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  China shares achievements, experience with world in fight against COVID-19

  China has been cooperating and holding in-depth communication with the international community on the novel coronavirus disease , and shared with the world its scientific research data, technological achievements, and epidemic prevention and control strategies, a Chinese official said on March 26, S

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  Five important lessons from China’s experience in fighting COVID-19

  File photo of Veronika S. SaraswatiEditors notes: The author is Head of China Study Unit – CSIS Indonesia.For two months in early 2020, China had taken very strong and effective measures to curb the spread of Covid-19. Chinas efforts in fighting the contagious disease through a number of policies that have been acknowledged by the World Health Organization (WHO) as appropriate.Its efficiency has inspired the world. The Chinese government sets a number of policies based on science and by paying close attention to the objective circumstances that change dynamically. The policies are then carried out with an admirable strict discipline by the entire stakeholders within the Chinese society.Although not all countries are fully aware of the pandemic problems, some practices in China, such as restricting traffic in the most affected provinces and cities, have been noted and followed by some countries. Some measures are worth implementing in other countries, by modifying them in order to fit the objective situation in those countries. There are some lessons that can be drawn fromhow the Chinese government responded to the COVID-19 crisis.The first lesson is that China relies on science in overcoming the pandemic. By using the scientific approach, the Chinese government was able to obtain correct and useful data of the virus. The Chinese government quickly found out the original root cause of the COVID-19, and then quickly formulated policies on how to prevent its spread. The government then subsequently established a control mechanism so that patients’ diagnosed positive could recover, and the virus did not spread as widely.One good example would be the establishment of two specialized hospitals for COVID-19 patients within six days. The determination of the Chinese government could also be seen from the implementation of very strict government sanctions for those who deliberately obstructed the distribution of health masks. This seems simp...