不要让武汉的眼泪白流 | Let Wuhan’s sacrifice not be in vain

On April 8, Wuhan is open to the outside world again. Although people are still reeling from the loss of loved ones and cautious against Covid-19, life must go on and there’s plenty to look forward to.

4月8日，武汉正式解除封城。尽管许多人仍沉浸在失去亲人的悲痛之中，尽管对新冠病毒还要保持警惕，但生活必须继续，未来更有盼头。

76 days ago, on January 23, the city was in total despair. Although only 571 cases of infection had been reported, a lockdown was deemed imperative. The decision to seal off a city of 11 million, the first time in human history, took only a few days. 

76天前的1月23日，整座城市陷入绝望。尽管仅通报了571例确诊病例，但封城已经迫在眉睫。封锁一座1100万人口的城市史无前例，而决策只用了几天时间。

The shock added to the confusion and fear gripping the city.  Doctors and nurses, for instance, suddenly faced difficulties going to work, as public transport came to a sudden halt. But the locals proved themselves heroic. They sprang into action to help themselves. Medical staff worked overtime, braving the initial lack of protective gear. Community workers did their duty despite some frustration in the neighborhood. 

震惊加剧了已经笼罩这座城市的困惑和恐惧，比如医生和护士突然面临通勤困难，因为公共交通戛然而止。但当地人用行动证明自己是真正的英雄，他们撸起袖子展开自救，医务人员加班加点，在早期缺乏防护装备的情况下奋勇抗疫。社区工作者坚守岗位，尽管一些居民略显沮丧。

But the great majority of people cooperated with authorities, trusting this was for their own good. Fortunately, they were not alone.

绝大多数人都配合封城举措，相信这样做是为了自己好。所幸他们并不孤单。

The entire country proved to be the formidable backbone that the city could rely on. And every means was pursued to get ahead of the virus. Some 42,000 medics arrived from around the country in Wuhan and neighboring cities. By early March, 2.2 million tons of supplies and 17,000 ventilators had been dispatched to the region. Wuhan became the center of attention in China. People cheered for the city, from home and abroad. Sadly, the city was also stigmatized because of this disease, adding insult to injury.

整个国家成了武汉的坚强后盾，竭尽全力阻击病毒。全国各地约有4.2万名医务人员驰援武汉和周边城市。截至3月初，共计220万吨物资和17000台呼吸机被发往该地区。武汉成为全国人民关注的焦点，海内外民众都为武汉加油鼓劲。可悲的是，这座城市也因为疫情被污名化。这种做法无异于落井下石。

At first, even international medical experts had bias against the lockdown, but it turned out to be the right thing. In the absence of treatment or vaccine, the age-old practice of strict quarantine proved effective. Within 55 days, the number of new cases in Wuhan dropped to zero. But the price was high. By April 6, Wuhan had reported 50,008 confirmed cases and 2,571 deaths. According to a study in Science magazine, China’s aggressive response cut the incidence by 96% than expected. Wuhan bought the world time and set a model for cities, even countries around the world.

起初，就连国际医学专家也对封城持有偏见，但事实证明这个决定是对的。在缺乏特效疗法和疫苗的情况下，以严格隔离为核心的传统防疫手段行之有效55天后，武汉的新增确诊病例数降至零，但代价也是惨重的。截至4月6日，武汉共通报了50008个确诊病例和2571个死亡病例。《科学》杂志的一项研究显示，中国大胆的应对使发病率比预期降低了96%。武汉为全世界争取了时间，也为世界各城市甚至国家设立了一种抗疫模式。

Unfortunately, that time was squandered by many. When the lockdown was in full swing, many thought it was a faraway problem. Many media even criticized the measure, focusing on the liberties that were restricted, instead of the lives that were being saved.

不幸的是，赢得的时间被很多地方浪费了。当武汉进入封城时，许多人都觉得事不关己。

许多媒体甚至批评该措施，大谈个人自由如何受到限制，而不是生命得以挽救。

Even as death tolls started to skyrocket in some parts of the world, there were still debates on whether the cure was worse than the problem!

甚至在部分国家死亡人数开始飙升时，还有人在争论这种做法是否是饮鸩止渴。

And then of course there are the claims that China’s misinformation deceived the world. When a city of 11 million is locked down, is that not enough to alarm people? When over one hundred were dying on a daily basis, shouldn’t that raise some red flags? Some people are pathologically suspicious of China’s data, claiming there must have been more cases. If there was this suspicion, 

wasn’t that enough reason to stock up and prepare?

然后又出现了中国发布假消息误导世界的说法，难道一个1100万人口的城市被封锁还不足以引起人们警觉吗？当每日死亡人数以一百多攀升时，形势还不应该让人警醒吗？有些人对中国发布的数据总是带着病态的怀疑，声称实际病例数一定更多。如果他们存在这种怀疑，那还不赶紧加强物资储备，做好准备。

According to the Washington Post, only 70 days after the U.S. received initial warning of the virus on January 3, did the Trump administration recognize it was not a distant threat. He said at his March 31 news conference, “it’s a matter of life and death.” But by then, the death toll in the U.S. had already reached 3,800.

据《华盛顿邮报》报道，美国在1月3日收到关于病毒的最初通报70天后，特朗普政府才意识到问题已经找上门。他在3月31日的新闻发布会上说“这事关生死”。但当时，美国的死亡人数已经达到3800。

In mid-March, almost two months after Wuhan was locked down, the UK government was still debating between delay or containment? Richard Horton, Chief Editor of the respected medical publication The Lancet, pointed out the information that came from China at the end of January was “absolutely clear”.  Yet by April 5, two and half months after Wuhan came into lockdown, British medical workers were still wearing garbage bags for protection.

3月中旬，在武汉封城近两个月后，英国政府仍在辩论到底是该延缓疫情还是遏制疫情。国际知名医学期刊《柳叶刀》主编理查德·霍顿指出，1月底来自中国的信息“绝对清晰”，然而直到4月5日，武汉封城两个半月后，英国的医护人员还在穿垃圾袋进行防护。

April 8 will be a historic date for the people of Wuhan and China, to mark a battle hard fought and hard won. Never again should such a lockdown be necessary. Lessons still need to be learned as to what more could have been done initially. Right now, the focus is resetting life while keeping the virus in check. Meanwhile, Wuhan can share its experience with other countries to score a global victory against the virus. Enough lives have been lost; enough time has been wasted. Let Wuhan’s sacrifice not be in vain.

4月8日对于武汉和全中国人民而言是值得铭记的一天，纪念一场艰苦卓绝的战役和来之不易的成果，但愿永远不再需要封城。我们仍要反思疫情最初是否可以做得更多。当下重点是在防控病毒的同时重启生活，同时武汉可以与其他国家分享经验，以争取全球抗疫胜利。已有太多生命陨落，太多的时间被浪费，不要让武汉的眼泪白流。

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