Family in China who survived Wuhan’s coronavirus outbreak demands the truth over government’s slow actions
- Three generations of Cheng Pan’s family were caught up in the coronavirus in Wuhan, with his newborn child separated from his wife straight after he was born
- Now their biggest wish – apart from their safety – is the truth be told over the government’s actions, to avoid similar mistakes being made in future
06:38
Wuhan man recounts struggles after father and pregnant wife contract Covid-19
One year after the coronavirus outbreak, the South China Morning Post returns to the Chinese city of Wuhan, where a family which saw three generations caught up in the coronavirus is now seeking the truth from the Chinese government about why it put millions of people’s lives in danger by refusing to act quickly.
Cheng Pan expected to begin 2020 welcoming a newborn son. Instead, he spent it battling to save three generations of his family from the impact of the killer Covid-19 virus.
Now, the 30-year-old accountant from Wuhan is demanding answers and accountability for how the local government mishandled the outbreak of a disease which even official figures say killed more than 3,000 and infected 50,000 in the city alone.
For many families in Wuhan, the start of the year should have been a happy time, but the city – including Cheng and his family – was plunged into devastation as the mystery virus struck.
In January, just 10 days from giving birth to their second child, Cheng’s heavily pregnant wife Zhou Xiaomen fell victim to the disease – which later became known as Covid-19 – after being infected unwittingly by her 51-year-old father-in-law.
