In coronavirus fight, China sidelines an ally: Its own people

BEIJING - Hospitals in Wuhan and surrounding Hubei province have been making urgent pleas to the Chinese people for three weeks as the new coronavirus ripples through the country: Send more protective gear.

Think of it as the nervous system that helps a society move smoothly and briskly - something Benjamin Franklin recognised over 200 years ago when he organised Philadelphia's first volunteer fire department, first public library and first charity hospital. Mr Duan suggested that the government restrain its urge to be in charge of everything and focus more on supervision.

Those gaps are evident on the front lines of the outbreak, where workers have lacked the proper equipment to keep themselves safe. "We're just a small boat with very limited capacity," said Mr Panda Yin, a designer in Beijing who organised a WeChat volunteer group of about 200 people to help find protective supplies for front line medical workers.

The Red Cross Society has been slow in giving away masks and other supplies, according to analyses by people in China based on incomplete data. Buttressing those claims, the central government on Friday told it to speed up donations. Three Red Cross officials in Hubei were disciplined this month. The Red Cross in Wuhan said this week that it was only one part of the city's resource supplying team and that city officials were in charge of allocating supplies.

Nonsense, said a factory owner in Xiantao who asked to be identified only by his surname, Wang, for fear of retribution. The city allowed 73 more companies back to work by Feb 9, the local official told the People's Daily, after getting approval from the provincial government, giving it political cover in case anything goes wrong.Xiantao also cut off private efforts to secure supplies.

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