BEIJING -- When he stepped inside the municipal office 5 miles north of the Forbidden City, China's most powerful leader in decades pulled up the sleeve of his black overcoat and held out his wrist. A woman in a mask and surgical gloves then checked to see if he had a fever.It was Xi Jinping'
BEIJING — When he stepped inside the municipal office 5 miles north of the Forbidden City, China’s most powerful leader in decades pulled up the sleeve of his black overcoat and held out his wrist. A woman in a mask and surgical gloves then checked to see if he had a fever.
He visited a neighborhood community center, a hospital and a center for disease control in Chaoyang, one of the capital’s largest districts. And for the first time, he also spoke directly — via video conferencing — to those most directly fighting the outbreak: medical workers in Wuhan who stood in rapt formation on the other end of the line.
Wu Qiang, an independent political analyst in Beijing, said that the worsening epidemic had created “pressure from the public and inside the party” for Xi to show that he was, as often reported, “personally directing” the government’s response. He said it also reflected the political concerns about the outbreak’s effects on China’s most important cities.
He also chatted briefly with a handful of residents, including two carrying grocery bags. Everyone, per orders issued by the government, wore masks. Xi also visited Ditan Hospital, located nearby the municipal office. He donned a white doctor’s coat, although television reports did not show him meeting with any patients. According to the government’s latest count, there have been 337 confirmed coronavirus cases in Beijing and two deaths, the most recent Friday.
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