Drawing on COVID lessons, China passes law to improve emergency response

12/9/2025 16:24

China's top lawmakers on Friday passed a bill to quicken public health emergency responses by empowering individuals and allowing them to report emergencies, bypassing the government's usual hierarchical structure.



The law will take effect from November 1, the official Xinhua news agency reported.



The Chinese city of Wuhan, original epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic, was accused of dragging its feet on reporting the initial outbreak of the novel coronavirus in late 2019.



An ophthalmologist at a hospital in Wuhan shared information about the disease in early 2020 but was reprimanded by local police for "spreading rumours". He died a month later, triggering a wave of public mourning and anger.



Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Beijing has required faster local action for public health emergencies and improved early detection and containment.