CORONA VIRUS PANDEMIC AND

CHINA’S STEPS TO CONTROL

THE SITUATION
Prepared for

Ms. Raana Naseer

FAST-NU CFD Campus

Prepared by

Muhammad Usama
BBHM-f18-067
C

26, 2020
SECTION I............................................................................................................................................................................... 2
Introduction to Study...........................................................................................................................................................2
Introduction........................................................................................................................................................................ 2
Statement of the Problem....................................................................................................................................................2
Significance of the Study....................................................................................................................................................2
Scope of the Study..............................................................................................................................................................2
Review of Related Literature..............................................................................................................................................3
Methods of the Study..........................................................................................................................................................4
Source of Data................................................................................................................................................................ 4
Sample Selection............................................................................................................................................................4
Statistical Methods..........................................................................................................................................................5
Limitations of the Study.....................................................................................................................................................5
SECTION II.............................................................................................................................................................................. 6
Findings, Conclusions, and Recommendations...................................................................................................................6
Introduction........................................................................................................................................................................ 6
Findings.............................................................................................................................................................................. 6
Social Distancing............................................................................................................................................................6
Reduced Human Mobility...............................................................................................................................................6
Separate Quarantines and Rapid Isolation.......................................................................................................................7
Easily accessible, Rapid and Free Testing......................................................................................................................7
Technology and Mass Surveillance Data........................................................................................................................7
Aerial disinfection and deliveries using drones...............................................................................................................7
Online Delivery..............................................................................................................................................................8
Conclusions........................................................................................................................................................................ 8
Recommendations...............................................................................................................................................................8
Bibliography............................................................................................................................................................................ 11

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 SECTION I
Introduction to Study

Introduction

Corona Virus Pandemic is causing a lot of damage to people’s life and economy all over the world. As long as
vaccines are not developed, the only way to minimize and control the damage of the virus can be done by
following some important steps. China is the first country that got affected by the Corona Virus in December 2019
and the way it handled the situation is exemplary. World Health Organization has suggested all countries to learn
from the steps taken by China in the fight against this virus. China has prevented a huge loss to its people’s life due
to its excellent strategies and timely actions. The number of Corona Virus cases is increasing in Pakistan every day
and sufficient steps are not being followed. A well-formulated strategy is strongly needed for Pakistan to control
the situation.[ CITATION Sam20 \l 1033 ][ CITATION Far20 \l 1033 ]

Statement of the Problem

The purpose of this study was to determine the steps taken by China to control the Corona Virus situation and step
that can be taken by Pakistan to minimize and control the damage from Corona Virus Pandemic.

Significance of the Study

The study will benefit Pakistan Health Ministry by recommending the crucial steps that can be taken to fight
against this pandemic. It will also benefit individuals who want to analyze the steps that were taken by China and
which of these steps can be implemented according to their country.

Scope of the Study

The recommendations suggested by this study are mostly from the steps taken by China in its most affected area
Wuhan, which is the capital city of China in its province Hubei. Some data can also be from other regions of
China. The recommendations made from the analysis are according to the situation of Pakistan. However, an

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individual can analyze the review of related literature which tells about China’s action taken in Wuhan to suggest
recommendations according to his/her country.

Review of Related Literature

Social Distancing and Human Mobility Restriction have been proved to be the most beneficial step in controlling
the spread of the Corona Virus as this virus is spread through the air and is also contracted through the object
infected by it. [ CITATION Mor20 \l 1033 ] reported that when they analyzed the Human Mobility data it was proved
that Human Mobility Restriction in Wuhan decreased the spread of virus remarkably. Furthermore, China also
implemented heavy active surveillance after restricting travel ban inside and outside the Wuhan zone. [ CITATION
Kie20 \l 1033 ] reports that social distancing, extended enclosure of schools and workplaces have remarkably slowed
down the spread of the virus and if these measures are implemented until the end of April then the number of new
infections can be reduced up to 92%. Along with both of these reports, the rapid reporting, modeling, and analysis
of Human Mobility and daily infection data helped China to control the situation. Singapore and South Korea also
followed the given measures which resulted in flattening of the curve of daily infections. [ CITATION Bru20 \l 1033 ]

Rapid isolation of people with symptoms, construction of separate quarantines and hospital, and analysis of
movement data helped to slow down the spread of the virus. Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong also followed the
stated actions and minimize the damage. [ CITATION Ben20 \l 1033 ]

Digitally Enabled Delivery Systems in China helped greatly in Human Mobility Restriction. People were
able to get daily necessities easily. They faced no problem in buying daily necessities as they were able to access
buying via smartphone apps which helped to deliver the required items at their doorsteps. [ CITATION Che20 \l 1033 ]

Corona Virus testing in China was free and easily accessible. They rapidly constructed the hospital. They
prioritized medical care. Only the top priority medical care was made accessible and doctors’ appointments went
online so that most of the medical force could be used for the pandemic. All measures were taken with speed and
seriousness. Daily cases were reported accurately to the public through their own social media sources. Solidarity
among China’s people can be seen when people were shifting their jobs to play their role in the pandemic. 40,000
medical workers were sent from other provinces to Wuhan voluntarily. Workers in different fields were reassigned
positions according to the pandemic. These all steps have been proved beneficial and now China is can restart its
economy.[ CITATION Hil20 \l 1033 ]

China has also used drones in response to this pandemic. Drones have been used for aerial spray
disinfection in China instead of using human force and have been proved 50 times efficient. China has been using

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drone technology to spray pesticides on crops in the agriculture field but in this time of the pandemic, they
switched its use. Drones were used in the supply of medical samples which resulted in less human contact and fast
delivery time. Consumer items delivery has also been done using drones. [ CITATION Jun20 \l 1033 ]

George Gao, who is the director-general of the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention,
suggested that supervisors and coordinators of the area have important responsibilities. They must be alert in
finding close contacts to the infected person and the suspected persons. Masks are very important to wear because
they block the virus-carrying droplets in the air from an infected person and also block them to infect another
person via breathing. Infected people must be isolated. [ CITATION Jon20 \l 1033 ]

Mass surveillance technology gathered temperature data from the public to track suspected cases. Civilians
can be tracked online and offline. Location data of civilians has been used to monitor movements and enforce
curfews. If a person is meant to be in quarantine and he goes out in public, an alert text message is sent to people
around him. Citizens have health code on their phones. Green health code tells the person is safe, yellow tells that
person may have been in infected areas, and red tells that person is affected. The police check the health code of
the person coming from other cities. [ CITATION Joe20 \l 1033 ]

The companies were providing accurate information to the public. The public can check if there has been
any Corona case in the area they have to visit. Real-time locations of confirmed and suspected cases are given to
the public. All other necessary information and free online health consultation service are given to the public.
Companies are supporting Research and Development purposes regarding Corona Virus. Free online classes and
work methods are supported and they are further working on improving the online supply chains. [ CITATION
Dav20 \l 1033 ]

Methods of the Study

Source of Data

Data for this study were collected from different news websites, research articles, social media and media talks
from the internet. The sources included prominent websites on which articles were written about different actions
that China has taken against the pandemic. All the important points have been collected from these sites and are
written in the Review of Literature with references.

Sample Selection

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The article’s source for this report was selected from the people who are according to the nature of the report.
These people were Ph.D. scientists, Staff Writer for Science, Infectious Disease Experts, Journalist, Health
Experts, Professors, Computational and Digital Health Experts, Researchers, Health and Science Reporters, and
Business Writers.

Statistical Methods

Due to resource limitations and the lockdown state of our country, the nature of the data collected for this report is
theoretical. So, the data is analyzed concerning the situation in Pakistan. As China has a strong economy, powerful
technology, highly capable leadership, and infrastructure, therefore it is assessed whether those implemented
methods in China can be followed by Pakistan’s government or not. Is there any way to achieve benefits by
altering these methods according to Pakistan?

Limitations of the Study

The study may be limited through the use of internet content as a data collection instrument. Interview with
analysts, health experts and technological persons, analysis of quantitative data of the number of the Corona cases,
questionnaire for experts regarding implementations steps, and scientific research are some data collection methods
that may limit the study but the collected theoretical data is already from the analysis by experts in the field of
study.

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 SECTION II
Findings, Conclusions, and Recommendations

Introduction

The study was designed to find what steps China has taken to control the spread of the Corona Virus and how they
minimized the damage from this pandemic. The steps that have been most effective are stated. This section
includes Findings, Conclusions, and Recommendations.

Findings

In Findings, all the steps that have been crucial are stated and the impact that they made are stated.

Social Distancing

Social Distancing is the major step that helped to slow down the spread of the Corona Virus because the virus
spreads from person to person. If the person is infected and but Social Distancing is maintained in society, then
there are few chances that the other person contracts the virus via shaking hands and virus particles in the air.
China strictly followed this practice and people were keeping 6ft of distance in public. No more than 10 people
gathering in public. If the number of the gathering was more than 10, people were immediately warned. Social
Distancing is being enforced in every country because it’s the first major step to reduce the spread of the virus.

Reduced Human Mobility

Human Mobility Restriction is also a major step that reduced the spread of the Corona Virus. Traveling was
immediately banned, people’s movement was strictly checked through Mass Surveillance Data, cities were sealed,
infected areas were closed, unnecessary travel inside the city was banned, malls and other public gatherings were
closed and all workplaces and schools were closed. This immediate step proved beneficial when the analyst studied
the spread of the Corona Virus.

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Separate Quarantines and Rapid Isolation

China built a separate hospital for Corona patients in just 6 days and all other existing buildings were made
quarantine for patients. People with symptoms were rapidly isolated in quarantines. The testing speed was good
that’s why they isolated the affected people on time. As the infected people are isolated, the chances of other
people contracting the virus become less. So, this step is also a compulsory step that should be taken as early as
possible to reduce damage.

Easily accessible, Rapid and Free Testing

Testing capacity is important because if a high number of testing is done then infected people can be isolated to
reduce the spread of the virus to other people. Testing in China was made free and easily accessible whether the
people were infected or not. Due to this, people voluntarily tested themselves and workload for the testing team in
finding more cases was reduced. The testing team was doing tests with speed. These all factors made the infected
people go into quarantines as early as possible thus reducing the spread of the virus.

Technology and Mass Surveillance Data

Technological factors and data about the public also helped China to find new cases and to stop people from
spreading the virus. Location data of the people helped to find out if they have met with current Corona patients or
not. If they were suspected then their health code was changed to yellow which tells that they may have contracted
the virus. Then they were tested. Also, the health code of people coming from other cities was checked before
letting them in. Public thermal temperatures were taken from the drones to find more suspected cases. Location
data also helped to alert those people who were outside in infected areas and enforce curfews. All necessary and
helpful information was provided to the public. Daily meetings and appointments went online and daily work
started from home. These all technological factors helped China to find more cases and to maintain accurate
information about the Corona Virus cases so that their experts could analyze them for future

Aerial disinfection and deliveries using drones

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Drones were used to disinfect the areas and essential delivery items were supplied through the use of drones. This
step helped to reduce the use of human force and also proved to be beneficial in terms of delivery time. Deliveries
using drones also reduced human interactions. So, it was beneficial indirectly.

Online Delivery

China’s people already used to buy things online via smartphone apps. Their e-commerce infrastructure and
logistics are very strong. China’s people were able to get their daily essential items online in an easy manner and
fast time. This important step further reduced human mobility and social interactions thus indirectly benefiting
China in the fight against this Pandemic.

Seriousness, Solidarity, and Unity

All of the steps taken against the pandemic cannot be proved beneficial if the country’s people do not follow the
government instructions seriously. China’s people strictly followed government rules. Wearing masks in public
was made obligatory. Law was enforced to make people follow the preventive measures. People voluntarily offer
their roles against the pandemic. China managed the human force efficiently. They prioritized the use of medical
force. People were switching from one job role to another. Business companies also played a great role as they
provided free services to China’s people and their employees. Production of masks, protective suits and sanitizers
was increased for its general public and doctors. People were given vouchers which they could spend online in a
given period instead of directly paying them money. So, people who needed something spent vouchers at that time
and people who had sufficient items didn’t spend vouchers. In this way, financial resources were managed
efficiently. The efficient use of all of their resources made it possible to control the virus damage.

Conclusions

Based on findings, we can conclude that the mix of Social Distancing, Reduced Human Mobility, efficient use of
resources, strong and serious leadership, accurate and strong information management, seriousness and solidarity
among people, strong analysis of the situation and use of technology made China able to fight against the
pandemic. China’s government took extraordinary measures and enforced draconian laws. Though some of these
steps cannot be taken by other countries, they can follow those steps that are possible and may alter some of the
steps, if possible, to get the benefit.
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 Recommendations

Based on the findings and conclusion in this study, the following recommendations are made for Pakistan:

1. Social Distancing and Reduced Human Mobility should be enforced in Pakistan because these are basic and
most important steps to reduce the spread of the virus. Lockdown is already implemented but people are not
following it strictly and they are following normal routine. Therefore, strong enforcement of Social
Distancing and Reduced Human Mobility is needed else the curve of the Corona cases in Pakistan cannot
be flattened.
2. The government should try to find the problems people are facing due to lockdown and their solutions so
that people can follow the lockdown.
3. As most people are not serious regarding this pandemic, strong, informational and effective communication
with people should be done so that they start to play their role in the fight against Corona Virus with
seriousness.
4. Testing capacity should be increased so that more Corona cases can be found as early as possible. This will
prevent the spreading of the virus to other people.
5. Rapid isolation of the cases should be done.
6. More active medical surveillance can be done if the travel and meeting history of the Corona patients is
analyzed via his/her location data. Those people that met patients should be notified that they have been
meeting with a Corona case and should be tested so that if they are affected the virus does not spread to
further people.
7. Wearing masks should be made obligatory in public so that virus-carrying droplets are not suspended in the
air.
8. Though online buying and distribution are not possible, Social Distancing should be strictly followed while
the distribution of ration and other daily activities of buying necessities.
9. Mask distribution should be made for the small operating businesses so that both the seller and buyer can be
protected
10. Foreign help such as medical kits, masks, and medicines should be efficiently managed and evenly
distributed across the country. There should be a testing center for each area so that both active and passive
testing can be done. Testing Center for each area will also reduce mass gathering.
11. Though the use of drone technology for distribution on rations can be difficult to implement, it can reduce
the social mixing of people and the use of human force. So, if not possible currently then plans can be made
for it.
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12. The use of medical force and resources should be prioritized according to the affected area and managed
efficiently. Medical staff should be provided with all basic facilities because they are the most important
factor in the fight against this pandemic.
13. Aerial disinfection should also be considered.
14. People should be given financial aids as most of them are not able to earn at this time of the pandemic.
15. Prices of daily items and taxes should be decreased.
16. Speed should be increased as much as possible in following all actions to fight against the Corona Virus.
17. Currently, the number of cases is not at peak but the government should make sure that resources are
sufficient if the number of cases becomes high.
18. Those steps mentioned in this report which are currently impossible to implement should be studied and
analyzed so that we can know how we can implement them in the future.

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