The coronavirus outbreak in China has led to rare open calls for freedom of speech in the Communist nation amid growing public discontent over the handling of the epidemic, as the death toll continued to climb which prompted the Government on Wednesday to announce fresh restrictions in top cities.
So far, the virus outbreak has claimed 1,115 lives with 97 new fatalities reported mostly in the worst-affected Hubei province on Tuesday while the confirmed cases of infection jumped to 44,763, the state-run CGTN TV reported.
The number of confirmed cases abroad rose to 440 with one death so far in the Philippines. Japan reported the highest number of 203 cases with a majority of them from a cruise ship.
The virus, now named COVID-19, has spread to over 20 countries, including India.
The outbreak which led to the lockdown of nearly 20 cities in China with over 50 million people in Hubei province has led to increasing calls for freedom of speech, especially after the death of 34-year-old doctor, Li Wenliang, who faced a stern warning from police when he along with eight others tried to inform authorities about the virus epidemic in December.
Tragically, Li, an ophthalmologist died of the coronavirus on February 6, sparking a nation-wide outpouring rarely seen in China in recent years.
Following his death, hundreds of Chinese, led by academics have signed an online petition calling on the national legislature to protect citizens’ right to freedom of speech, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.
The petition is addressed to the National People’s Congress (NPC) often termed as the rubber-stamp parliament for its routine approval of the proposals of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC). The NPC is scheduled to meet early next month but the spread of the virulent virus cast doubts about the meeting as the Government discouraged large gatherings.
The petition lists five demands to protect the people’s right to freedom of expression, discussion on this issue at the NPC, make February 6, the day of Dr Li’s death as a national day for free speech.