Chinese President Xi Jinping Has Visited Wuhan For The First Time Since The City Emerged As The Centre Of The Coronavirus Epidemic In January - A Major Sign That Beijing Believes The Outbreak Is Under Control
Chinese President Xi Jinping has visited Wuhan for the first time since the city emerged as the centre of the coronavirus epidemic in January - a major sign that Beijing believes the outbreak is under control.
The timing of Xi's visit indicates that China is ready to declare victory over the health crisis, which has killed at least 3,136 people in the nation and 4,062 worldwide, according to experts.
Xi today inspected a 1,000-bed hospital constructed in 10 days to fight the deadly disease before touring a local community to call on residents in quarantine.
His visit came as Wuhan authorities have closed all of the city's 14 makeshift 'fang cang' hospitals - which were converted from sports halls and exhibition centres - after they treated some 12,000 patients.
It also came as unprecedented quarantine measures that have sealed off the city of 11 million and the rest of central Hubei province since late January appear to have paid off, with new infections dropping dramatically in recent weeks.
A picture released by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV through its official Weibo account shows President Xi delivering a speech at Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan this morning
Huoshenshan or Fire God Mountain Hospital was built in 10 days to help treat surging number of coronavirus patients in Wuhan. CCTV has also released a video, which shows mask-donning Xi speaking to front-line medical workers and patients in the hospital through a video call
Xi is pictured addressing officials working in the Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan today
China state newspaper has urged its people to strive towards the 'victory of a people's war' against the epidemic.
People's Daily wrote: '[We] should enhance the party's leadership comprehensively and work around the people to boost the people's power for seizing the victory of the people's war in controlling the epidemic.'
Huoshenshan Hospital was built from the ground in just 10 days to curb the epidemic. This aerial photo taken on February 2 shows the 1,000-bed hospital largely completed in Wuhan
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China's progress stands in stark contrast with the growing global crisis, with cases now growing at a faster pace abroad, and Italy enacting its nationwide lockdown.
More than 100 countries are now fighting the contagion, which has infected over 114,400 people globally.
[ ] released by China's state broadcaster CCTV shows Xi, who arrived by plane in Hubei's capital, wearing a mask as he spoke via video-link to front-line medical workers and patients in Huoshenshan or Fire God Mountain Hospital.
Huoshenshan started treating patients from February 4 after being built from the ground in just 10 days to combat the fast-spreading infection.
Its sister facility, Leishenshan or Thunder God Mountain Hospital, was completed in 12 days.
Xi then went to Wuhan's Donghu New City community at noon to visit people in quarantine and community workers, CCTV said.
A video released by CCTV shows Xi visiting anti-coronavirus volunteers in charge of distributing food and supplies to isolated residents at Wuhan's Donghu New City community
The clip also shows Xi waving at the locals in quarantine as he walks in the neighbourhood
Residents at Donghu New City community are filmed greeting Xi from their balconies
[ ] shows the locals waiving at Xi from their balconies and a mask-donning Xi greeting them back while walking in the neighbourhood.
Xi is also filmed talking to community volunteers in charge of distributing necessities and kynghidongduong.vn carrying out health campaigns.
Xi's neighbourhood tour du lịch phượng hoàng cổ trấn came just five days after China's Vice Premier Sun Chunlan was heckled during an inspection by the city's isolated residents who reportedly complained about being neglected.
A video shows the locals chanting 'fake, fake' out of their windows as they allegedly claimed that Sun was being shown a 'fake' delivery of food.
Quarantined residents have been captured on camera yelling 'fake, tour trương gia giới fake' at a group of Beijing officials who are inspecting the residential compound in Qingshan District of Wuhan
Sun Chunlan (pictured), the Chinese Vice Premier, was touring an isolated complex in Qingshan District of Wuhan yesterday.
She is seen here visiting a hospital in Wuhan
<div class="art-ins mol-factbox news" data-version="2" id="mol-9e872b90-62b6-11ea-a07b-5b4ad138a66b" website Xi pays first visit to virus epicentre Wuhan
