武漢封鎖から１年　「世界の感染拡大、心が痛む」

【武漢ＡＦＰ＝時事】新型コロナウイルスの感染拡大により中国・武漢がロックダウン（都市封鎖）されてから、23日で1年を迎えた。武漢市民の間には危機を乗り越えたことへの誇りと、流行再燃を懸念する気持ちとが入り交じっている。
　２０２０年１月２３日、武漢で市民１１００万人が自宅隔離されるという忘れ難い７６日間の封鎖の日々が始まり、世界に衝撃が走った。この事態により、謎の病原体への脅威は一気に広まった。
　同日午前１０時には公共交通機関が全面運休となり、特別な許可がない人の市外への移動は禁じられた。不気味な沈黙の幕開けだ。
　だが、今も世界中で新型コロナウイルスとの闘いが続く中、現在の武漢には昨年のゴーストタウンのような雰囲気はない。市内では車が行き交い、歩道は人でにぎわい、公共交通機関や公園も人であふれている。
　武漢の川沿いをマスクをせずにジョギングしていた２０代の男性は、「昨年は怖かったが、流行が収束してからは状況が大きく改善した」と述べた。この日、川沿いでは曇り空の下、多くの人が運動をしていた。
　昨年新型コロナウイルスに感染し、病院で６７日間にわたる闘病生活を送ったフアン・ゲンベンさん（７６）は、血を吐きながら死を覚悟したという。
　「夜、目を閉じる時、もう一度目を開けられるか分からなかった」
　現在、フアンさんは他の多くの武漢市民と同じく、中国政府や国民が感染拡大を食い止めるために「大いなる努力」をし、それを武漢が示してみせたことに誇りを持っている。
　フアンさんは「政府の政策が正しかったこと、市民の協力が正しかったことが、結果からも分かる。世界中で感染が拡大しているというのは心が痛む」と語った。

■強まる国際社会の批判
　中国政府は、自国の対応と回復は「英雄的」であったとのプロパガンダを展開している。
　しかし、２３日に行われた中国政府の公式行事はない。中国政府のコロナ対応をめぐっては流行を隠蔽（いんぺい）、あるいは初動を誤ったことで感染が拡大したとの批判の声が上がっており、当の政府も流行初期については堅く口を閉ざしたままだ。
　新型コロナウイルスは一般的に、野生動物が売られていた武漢の海鮮市場から広まったと考えられている。
　ただ、中国は発生源についてほとんど情報を明らかにしておらず、欧米諸国からは透明性の向上を求める声が上がっている。
　武漢封鎖から１年が経過したことについて、中国政府からの事前告知はなく、国営メディアでの言及も最小限にとどめられた。
　北京大衆紙の新京報の論評は、武漢が負った犠牲や今も続く新型コロナへの脅威に触れつつ、積極的なロックダウンが世界のモデルになったことを称賛するという「複雑な心境」を表明。
　また「苦労して勝ち取った結果を不注意によって失ってはならない。そして流行を再発させてはならない」と強調し、「武漢に敬意を。強く恐れ知らずの中国国民に敬意を！」と鼓舞した。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2021/01/25-11:59）

Exactly one year after it thrust the word lockdown into the global conversation, Wuhan passed the anniversary on Saturday with a mix of pride at emerging from Covid-19's grip and caution over a possible relapse.
A year ago Wuhan shocked the world by confining its 11 million anxious citizens to their homes, beginning a traumatic 76-day lockdown that underscored the growing threat of a mysterious pathogen emanating from the city.
At 10 am that day, public transport was shut down and exiting the city was banned without special permission. An eery silence descended.
One by one, adjacent areas in hard-hit Hubei province quickly followed suit, as did governments worldwide as the coronavirus went global.
But while the world's pandemic struggles continue, Wuhan today is nothing like the locked-down ghost town of a year ago, with traffic humming, sidewalks bustling, and citizens packing public transport and parks.
I was frightened last year but things have improved a lot since the epidemic has been brought under control, said a maskless jogger in his 20s who gave only his surname Wang, one of many people exercising under hazy skies along Wuhan's Yangtze Riverfront on Saturday.
Life is like before now.
But memories of Wuhan's ordeal remain fresh, especially as localised Covid-19 clusters multiply across China, prompting mass testing in Beijing and targeted lockdowns in other areas.
Huang Genben, 76, spent 67 days in hospital fighting Covid-19 last year, spitting up blood and expecting to die.
When I closed my eyes at night I didn't know if I would open them again, Huang told AFP.
Like many of his countrymen, he expresses pride at the great efforts made by China's government and citizens to contain the pandemic, exemplified by Wuhan.
The virus has killed at least two million people globally and continues to rage, but in China authorities have reported fewer than 5,000 deaths, the vast majority coming in Wuhan at the pandemic's outset.
And Saturday's relaxed scenes ?- elderly dancers spinning in parks and crowded bars selling Wuhan Stay Strong craft beer -? contrast with the rolling lockdowns, surging death rates and overwhelmed hospitals in other countries.
- 'I feel pain' -
We can tell from the results that the policy of the government was correct, the cooperation of (Wuhan) citizens was correct. I feel pain seeing the epidemic all over the world, Huang said.
The government has pushed an official propaganda narrative -- starring Wuhan -- focusing on a heroic Chinese response and recovery.
But there are no known lockdown commemorations planned Saturday by Beijing, which remains tight-lipped on the pandemic's early days amid accusations it tried to cover it up or mishandled the outbreak, allowing it to spread.
The virus is generally believed to have spread from a Wuhan wet market where exotic animals were sold as food.
But China has otherwise released little information on its origins, fuelling calls in the west for more transparency.
The lockdown anniversary comes with World Health Organization experts just days from completing a two-week quarantine in Wuhan before launching a planned investigation into the coronavirus's origins.
The WHO said Friday it was too early to draw any conclusions as to whether the pandemic started in China.
All hypotheses are on the table, said WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan.
- 'Strong, fearless' -
The anniversary was barely acknowledged in China on Saturday morning, with no initial government statements seen and minimal mention in state propaganda outlets.
A commentary in the Beijing News professed mixed feelings, praising the aggressive lockdown as a model for the world while noting Wuhan's sacrifices -- and the persistent virus threat.
We must not lose the hard-won results of the epidemic to negligence, and must not let the epidemic rebound, it said.
It added: Pay tribute to Wuhan. Pay tribute to the strong and fearless Chinese people!
While other nations, notably the United States, have dithered on their coronavirus response, Wuhan shut down completely, plunging its economy into recession.
Now, the activity on the streets attests to an impressive rebound, but some say it remains incomplete.
Xu Jiajun, a 58-year-old street vendor, said times remained tough.
The situation is not good. I don't have a stable income like I did before. Things have changed, he said.
burs-dma/leg