Abstract: The measures to isolate the city and other two centres located in the Hubei province – with the result of closing 60 million citizens inside the perimeter border with a few hours’ notice – has allowed a first stage of containment, by avoiding an explosion of infection cases on the whole Chinese territories. Tight controls also in Shanghai.
MILAN, Mar. 17 (Class Editori) - During these difficult and dramatic days that Italy is facing and after the latest government provisions which should ensure a slowdown in the infection cases, the “Wuhan model” is often mentioned as the key of success to defeat -at least temporarily- the virus.
At the verge of the Chinese New Year, with a delay of some weeks after the official notice of this new tragedy, the Chinese government had bravely adopted – by military means – the isolation measures of the city of Wuhan and other two centres in the Hubei province. As a result, 60 million citizens have been closed inside the perimeter border with a few hours’ notice. This has allowed a first containment stage, because an explosion of infection cases has not occurred on the whole Chinese territory but only in limited areas in the Hubei province, with Wuhan as the epicentre.
The possibility to lengthen the closing period due to New Year’s celebrations, previously settled until January 30, has represented another benefit. Offices and production sites have been asked to adapt their opening – mostly only partial – to a responsibility commitment with criminal implications. According to provincial regulations, this provided for the supply of masks to the employees, from one to three per day, temperature measurement, the supply of disposable gloves and hand sanitizers as well as smart working opportunity, easier to be implemented than in Italy, because almost 900 million Chinese have access to internet.
However, in order to adopt this system to my company as well, I found out that not every employee disposes of a computer at home, because they are used to exclusively rely on smartphones.
All these provisions have been and still are inspected by competent authorities and building managers, who, last February, had applied even stricter measures regarding the number of people who could have access to the single offices. As I had already mentioned some months ago on the occasion of the application of the new measures in Shanghai concerning the separate collections of waste, in China each house and office are located inside buildings where the building superintendent does not exist; instead, companies or communities actively deal with the management and control activities.
This situation goes hand in hand with the people control conducted by Apps, which, last year, has led to create the social credit system at an individual and company level. On this occasion, thanks to Alipay, an app has been created which, only through a simple registration of the mobile owner, allows to monitor the health status of the user through different QR code colours; in fact, it moves from green colour – the symbol of a good health status - to yellow, intermediate status, until red, symbol of a dangerous situation. At many compounds’ entries, it is mandatory to show the own status and have the temperature checked.
A final note on the masks’ use which today, in Italy, is representing an important critical issue. In February, in China, it was not easy to find them and many companies, myself included, imported them from abroad. In addition, during the statement phase by the employer, it was needed to provide a stock for at least two weeks; otherwise, the offices reopening would not be allowed.
In conclusion, the e-commerce helped surviving even when there was a lack of food, particularly related to the Chinese holiday period and it was necessary to wake up during the night to order vegetables and ensure the delivery for the following day. There have not been the usual attacks to supermarkets.
Due to its nature and history, Italy in not organised in this way; individual isolation and the fact of wearing a mask are not part of its culture; however, the awareness rising process is starting. I have been impressed and touched by something that in China does not exist even if patriotism has been celebrated: it is the ability to tie feelings and our soul in reacting to this epidemic.
All the videos- amateur or not-, songs, the National anthem which have been sung out of the balconies or windows have made rediscover the true and deep Italian soul, with its own will to return understanding and interpreting history for a future redemption.
However, I would like to conclude with two quotes: one by the poetess Alda Merini, from Milan, who wrote in her study overlooking the Navigli: “Even if the window is the same, those who are looking out see different things. The view depends on the gaze”.
The other quote comes from Futura, one of the main daydreamer songs by Lucio Dalla: “We are waiting for the light to return – for hearing a voice- We are waiting without any fear, Tomorrow”.
Marco Leporati
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