CCTV that there had been confirmed cases of “human-to-human transmission” of the disease.
But top Chinese officials already knew they were facing a pandemic days or even weeks before that date.
During their silence, millions of people began traveling to and from China for the Chinese New Year celebrations. The Baibuting community in the city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the disease, hosted a mass banquet for thousands of people.
The
Associated Press reported that more than 3,000 had been infected before Xi’s warning and several thousands more were likely unaccounted for, given the lack of restrictions and health protocols during those days.