page_title: COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
section_title: Early responses by Henan
hierarchical_section_title: COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China / Impact beyond Hubei / Early responses by Henan
caption_attribution_description: 中文（简体）‎: 西安市雁塔区曲江收费站的防疫检查
context_page_description: The COVID-19 pandemic originated with a cluster of mysterious, suspected pneumonia cases in the city of Wuhan, the capital of Hubei, China. A Wuhan hospital notified the local center for disease control and prevention and health commissions on 27 December 2019. On 31 December, the Wuhan CDC disclosed to the media that there was a cluster of unknown pneumonia cases related to Huanan Seafood Market after the unverified documents appeared on the Internet. The potential disease outbreak soon drew nationwide attention including that of the National Health Commission in Beijing who sent experts to Wuhan on the following day. Chinese authorities formally notified the World Health Organization on this same day. On 8 January 2020, a new coronavirus was identified as the cause of the pneumonia. The sequence of the virus was soon published on an open-access database.
  Public and media criticism has labeled responses by the Wuhan and Hubei authorities as delayed and as failing to contain the outbreak in its early stage. By 29 January, the virus spread to all provinces of mainland China. All provinces of mainland China initiated the highest response level to public health emergency.
context_section_description: At the end of December 2019, Henan announced the suspension of passenger trains to and from Wuhan. In early January 2020, the local government of Henan Province with its complete disinfection measures, effective and intensive publicity, a strong awareness of epidemic prevention and quarantine among the people, the setting up of return spots at the village entrance and even the use of garbage trucks, the digging of trenches to block roads connecting Hubei and the hanging of slogans such as "return home with sickness is to dishonor your parents." #抄河南的作业 (lit.: 'copy Henan's homework') became a trending Weibo topic hashtag.
  
  However, cutting the roads off without authorization is illegal in mainland China as Xinhua and the Public Security Ministry pointed out. The Ministry of Transport asked the local governments to take the principle of "block one, not three (Chinese: 一断三不断)", that is, to block the virus from spreading, but not to block roads, traffic and Internet access, the transportation of emergency supplies and the transportation of essential goods.
caption: Staff examining cars for epidemic control at Qujiang entry to Xi'an Bypass
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