No COVID-19 patients reported from Wuhan today

COLOMBO (News 1st):- No COVID - 19 patients were reported from China's city of Wuhan today, as a result of several measures undertaken by the Chinese government to curb the spread of the virus. How did the people in that region conduct themselves during this period? Kushani Paris of News 1st engaged in a discussion with two of the students who returned from Wuhan, Gihan Dulanjaya and Upul Gamage. Q:- What were the directives issued by the Chinese government when the virus was first identified? Gihan Dulanjaya:- When the virus started spreading, the Chinese government instructed us to avoid places of public gathering and to travel outside only for essential activities. Q:- How did the people of Wuhan respond to the directives of the government? Upul Gamage:- Considering the political and administrative structure in China together with the advanced health systems, the people extended their fullest support by adhering to the directives of the government, health officials and security units. Q:- How did the people respond when the city of Wuhan was placed on lockdown? Upul Gamage:- The government never informed that they would be placing the city on lockdown. The lockdown imposed in Wuhan at 10 am on the 23rd of January, can be analyzed through a cultural lens. The government generally grants a long holiday for the Chinese Lunar New Year. Therefore, the Chinese had purchased goods and were preparing for the festival. When the Sri Lankan government announced that a curfew will be imposed, we saw how people flocked in large numbers to stores. There was a similar situation in Wuhan at that time. However, only fewer people visited the stores. If the entire Chinese population had stepped out into the streets, it would have been difficult to control the situation. Such a situation did not rise when Wuhan was placed in lockdown. --