A 31-year-old Chinese London resident who spent the peak of the Coronavirus pandemic in China's Wuhan, where the virus first emerged in late 2019, said China was able to control the spread of COVID-19 as people there "are more obedient" and willing to listen to science.
The man, Xi Lu was stuck in the Chinese city for 141 days after leaving his London residence in January in 2019 to visit his family living in Wuhan. When the virus hit Hubei's city, it was sealed off from the rest of the country and a strict lockdown was imposed.
During the lockdown, many videos appear on social media platforms which showed the daily struggle of Wuhan residents, as the authorities had imposed the world's first and strictest lockdowns. People were only allowed to leave their homes for groceries and the face masks were mandatory. The lockdown lasted for 76 days during which time Xi went outside occasionally only to collect deliveries.
'More Obedient'
As per Xi, there was a significant cultural difference and the citizens of China are more likely to follow the rules imposed by the CCP government. He said that in that country, "if there is a rule, we follow the rule."
According to him, if there is someone who is not following the rules, "we don't need to punish them, we need to make sure they are aware of their violations against the rules." Xi also said that most of the Chinese people, most specifically the younger generation, have had over 15 years of obligatory education. So, the people believe in science and follow whatever the scientists say, he added.
"We wear the mask. And we tell our parents and grandparents to wear the mask. We wouldn't say 'let's take the mask off because I can't breathe right', because we know this virus is there," said Xi who also once reported a neighbor for violating the lockdown. As per him in China, it is more likely to report neighbors for breaking rules.
As reported, Xi believes that if the campaigns like anti-mask and anti-vaccine continue, then there would be another wave of Coronavirus infection which will lead to another lockdown in the spring as well as in next winter.
Xi who has lived in London for seven years said he has respect for those who said lockdown restrictions affect their freedom, but as per him, freedom is relative. "We do ask for freedom, but our freedom does not get in the way of others' freedom. If we do that, we are kind of stealing two months of freedom," by going to a bar to meet some friends, he said and added that "if there is no one left, there are no human rights."
There is no harm in following the rules to ensure safety from the deadly virus. Experts and healthcare officials have been warning people to follow safety measures—wearing masks, washing hands more frequently, and maintaining social distance. These are the very basic guidelines that people can follow. But when it comes to China things are complicated.
Since the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic, China has been in the focus. Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party's roles in the coverup of the infection cases have been a debatable topic for a long time. Even how authorities silenced the whistleblowers during the initial days of the pandemic all came under the spotlight. Videos appeared on social media showing how terrified people were in the initial days—not because of COVID-19 but due to the pressure of local authorities.
Needless to say, those who tried to show what was happening in the country, suddenly got disappeared. So here the question comes—Did the citizens of China follow the government out of obedience or fear?
