International Warnings to Not End Pandemic Lockdown Too Soon

May 7, 2020 (EIRNS)—The Presidents of China and Russia both issued warnings about the danger of ending coronavirus lockdowns too early, in both their own countries and internationally. President Xi Jinping, who speaks with the authority of having decisively contained the spread of COVID-19 in China, told a meeting of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee that was called to assess the battle against the pandemic, that China had to maintain high vigilance against a return of the coronavirus. “The epidemic prevention and control measures in Hubei should not be relaxed,” Xi said, according to Xinhua. He also declared that “the spread of the virus overseas has not been effectively curbed yet.”

Similarly, Russian President Vladimir Putin met May 6 with government officials on the status of the fight against the coronavirus, and stressed:

“I would like to emphasize that we cannot skip ahead. Any negligence or haste can lead to a breakdown or a backlash. The cost of even a minor mistake is the safety, life and health of our people. This is why our colleagues from the government and the regional governors bear extremely high responsibility for each adopted decision. We can never forget this.”