ABSTRACT
Since 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has considerably affected the international community. During the pandemic, China, where the initial outbreak was detected, could keep the number of infections and deaths relatively low, which set it apart from the other major world powers. Why, then, has COVID-19 infection control been so uniquely effective in China? To answer this question, this study examines the crisis-management system implemented by the Chinese government and public cooperation with disease-control measures such as mask-wearing.
To explore China’s internal crisis-management system, this study gathers examples of the frequently declared ‘wartime state’ in China since February 2020 and analyses the structure of the Chinese crisis-management system during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the midst of the pandemic, China’s central government called for a quick response from local governments, delegating crisis-management authority. This produced some results in the early stages of the pandemic. Simultaneously, however, this was directly linked to inconsistent measures and avoidance of responsibility for disease control by local governments.
As for the mask-wearing situation in China, this study examines the process by which mask-wearing became widespread after the pandemic outbreak to investigate the factors in the Chinese government’s success in mandating masks. Finally, the case of Shanghai during the COVID-19 pandemic is examined, analysing disease-control measures in Shanghai and the methods and logic by which the Shanghai government made mask-wearing prevalent in the everyday life of the general public.
