A Special Message to My Readers On The Recent China Covid Situation by MARIO CAVOLO DEC 8 2022 關於最近的中國 Covid 形勢致我的讀者的特別信息

The Chinese govt & its people over the past three years sacrificed to achieve the most remarkable Public Health Policy achievement of the 21st Century – that is the legacy of the country’s ZeroCovid policy path.

An estimated 5 million deaths were prevented by the combination of this policy, sacrifice & civic duty here in China, while now a significant shift finally arrives.

Meticulous tracking of the evolving virus finally brings the time when the govt can confidently make larger adjustments to the restrictive policies which were such a sacrifice to the entire country & its people. Especially those who lost the most, they should be honored and appreciated.

Living here 24 yrs with my local Chinese family, I can tell you this is a country deeply rooted by the safety & stability of the marriage / family households including grandparents. And so it is no surprise the protection of everyone’s health was the top priority when the pandemic hit. I wasn’t surprised at all. Instead, knowing sacrifice and civic duty required by the citizens would match the govt’s ZeroCovid policy approach focusing 100% on saving lives. And that is exactly what happened.

The Chinese citizens are amongst the most hard working and educated in the world. They did not go along with the govt because they are sheep, or controlled, or oppressed. They went along because they agreed, supported the policy and knew it was the right thing, the only thing to do, protect everyone’s health, protect their family’s health. Nobody here needed to be coerced or convinced to wear a mask. People who value family & health already know what they should do and the govt knew its people would be together with them in the values of the ZeroCovid policy.

Indeed, in the end, the result is what counts. We can easily estimate based on fatalities in other countries, this policy, this govt and its citizens worked together to save around 5 million lives. And let’s not forget there would also be around 100 million LongCovid cases as a burden as well. Instead, a relatively very small # of cases, deaths & LongCovid cases occurred. This is what China and its people have proudly achieved. Upon which China now finally faces the next phase of the Covid pandemic, which by all measures is thankfully improving, but far from over.

The Shanghai outbreak around August was the first to confirm in the data being meticulously tracked & analyzed by the experts of the China CDC & NCH (National Health Council) that the most recent variant pathogenicity was becoming acceptably mild with a signficantly lower death rate. By mid November, the govt released a new set of 20 relaxed policy guidelines confirming these encouraging assessments of the evolving pandemic. A few days later, over the weekend a few youth protests occurred. These further acted as a passionate, confirming nudge to the govt by its people, showing their frustration and that the govt moving in this direction toward less restrictive, more isolated, targeted policies was indeed, the right direction for the country. An additional 10 updated guidelines were issued on December 7th. ZeroCovid as a policy evolves as the pandemic evolves, with protecting health always a priority. This should surprise no one.

More importantly, such a sacred and important matter should not be misreported and distorted by voices discussing these matters, especially official mainstream media news sites, whom we continue to encourage to report the news in a clear non-divisive way which prioritizes safety, stability & mutual cooperation between all countries. By this time now in early December, the NHC has announced continuing relaxation of restrictions as it clearly knows the need to balance the economic and daily life priorities with health as a priority. Suggestions that the govt did any of this to control or oppress its people are absurd. Such voices serve only to point fingers as to hide the failings of their own countries and their govts. As is too common, this is just more distorted anti China propaganda.

I firmly believe all that the Chinese govt has done every step of the way since January 2020 when the pandemic began is assess and create policy it viewed as best overall for the society and Chinese people. While I am always going to be a foreigner, I will never fully know inside the minds of native Chinese or its govt, but I understand well enough. As a foreigner living here 24 years with my local Chinese family, with a Luika green card, with my Yibaoka national health insurance card, I am as close to being a Chinese citizen as any foreigner could be and I am proud to say China has become my home.

However, there are too many dark forces who will never acknowledge the achievements of this amazing country with a healthy perspective. They will attack and distort on all things China. Lately, in arguing with these confused and malevolent people, I have sometimes spoken too harshly in public. For this I apologize, glad to humbly acknowledge I am also human before God. We must all strive to be better, to share our views based on what we can see clearly is evidently observably certain circumstances not based on excess rhetoric that might feel good, but only serves to add fuel to the fire. The fire of attacks against China does not need any more fuel. It needs people like myself and many others making the efforts to speak plainly and strongly, with conviction yet with balance and clear knowledge to accomplish our purpose, my purpose, and that is to create a better, true understanding of the real China and its increasingly significant place in this world in our lifetimes while looking to our future generations.

When I think of China as my home, I also think of America where I was born and my native blood country Italy. Over a century ago, my family began leaving Italy to the shores of a new life in America. There is so much good to be said, admired & respected about all three of these countries which define my family’s heritage. I think often with great pride that my own son was the first child in over a century of our family generations to be born outside of the United States, born here in China, raised to know, understand and respect his family’s heritage and history.

As we now face a particularly new set of challenges here in the coming weeks & months, the entire world will be greatly impacted. The world needs our prayers, our efforts, our sincerity & God’s grace. I thank you dear friends.

Warmly,
Mario
Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China