COVID-19 and the new Great Wall
By Aitizaz Hassan
Frequently the Great Wall is what comes to mind when someone thinks of China. It’s astonishing to ponder how millions of laborers built such a magnificent structure, 20 feet high and more than 20 thousand kilometers long, with heavy stones on high mountains. I have been to this captivating man-made wonder three times during my China stay in 2018. Chinese historians say Chinese artisans were familiar with the art of making small walls of this type before they joined together to construct the Great Wall. China constructed Great Wall to secure itself from the threat of Mongolian invaders.
When I learned about the outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, Hubei province and the suffering of the people there, my heart went out them. But in my heart I knew right from the beginning that China, which has emerged victorious over countless roadblocks in its path to development, would overcome this pandemic situation and set an example for the world. History often repeats itself; this time China was under attack from a disease and needed to make another Great Wall to save public health. Determined to save China from this threat to mankind, thousands of health workers from different provinces of China marched to the city of Wuhan. The nation is well reputed for its “never settle” attitude, geared up this time again with all its might to fight the disease. The people of Wuhan devoted themselves to saving others; they suffered hunger to feed the rest of world; they lost countless hours of sleep in their endeavor to combat the disease day and night, finally bringing COVID-19 to its knees. This was possible with the combined effort of thousands of volunteers. Only after bringing the havoc to settle, the relentless volunteers and health workers signed off from Wuhan and marched back to their respective provinces.
To great dismay, COVID-19 has spread to 196 countries of the world. The experts of different countries are joining together in laboratories. The race to making a COVID 19 vaccine is also on and in full swing. Yet no concrete solution has been identified. People all across the world are surviving COVID-19 with nothing but hope. The success story of Wuhan has fueled the hopes of people around the world. Wuhan has set a precedent that even without a particular vaccine, this disease can be contained, which has become an example for the rest of the world. China’s strategy in fighting coronavirus has become a lesson for whole world. To follow China’s strategy, other countries should focus on the principle of early detection, quarantine and treatment in order to halt damage from the coronavirus.
Today, the rest of the world seeks to learn how to defeat COVID-19 from China. Although China still needs medical materials, it is ready to help other countries. Italy has asked Beijing to help with medical supplies, and in response China them sending seven medical specialists to assist them.
China has offered to assist Iran, Iraq, South Korea, Japan and Pakistan. Recently, an aircraft laden with 10,000 test kits, 100,000 N95 masks, 5,000 medical protective clothes, 5 ventilators, 11 defibrillators and some 62,000 sets of drugs has landed in Pakistan.
Despite numerous controversies with United States, President Xi Jinping said China understands the current predicament of the US over the outbreak and stands ready to provide support within its capacity, and in response US President Donald Trump applauded the efforts of China by saying on social media following a phone call with Xi the conversation was “very good” and “China has been through much and has developed a strong understanding of the virus. We are working closely together.”
No one of us has witnessed the build-up of the Great Wall of China, but after seeing the efforts of China against this dire situation, we can easily imagine how that wall was shaped—by uniting, by working together and through effective leadership. If you ever visit the Great Wall, you will see thousands of people from different corners of the world meeting each other. Though the wall is often linked to division and dis-connectivity, this new wall is connecting humanity in unprecedented ways.
The author has been working in Pakistan electronic media of Pakistan since 2012.
