Zhou Xianwang a Prophet? His Famous Saying When Ordering the City Lockdown Has Proven Prophetic

Photo Caption: A man wearing a mask receives a package through a temporary barricade wall in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, on March 8, 2020. The barricade was built to control access to residential areas. After the coronavirus outbreak, flights, trains, and public transportation (including buses, subways, and ferry services) remained shut down. (Photo by Getty Images)

[People News] Former Wuhan Mayor Zhou Xianwang was dismissed on July 8. He faced significant criticism for his slow response during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in 2020. At the onset of the outbreak, he ordered a city lockdown and famously declared, 'I am willing to resign to apologize to the world.' His subsequent investigation and dismissal can be seen as a fulfilment of that statement.

According to a joint report from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection on July 8, 62-year-old Zhou Xianwang is under investigation for serious political issues related to corruption and abuse of power.

When the COVID-19 pandemic first erupted in Wuhan, Hubei, Zhou Xianwang was serving as the mayor. On January 27 of that year, during an interview with CCTV News, he acknowledged that the Wuhan municipal government had indeed failed to disclose information in a timely manner, stating, 'We still need to improve our ability to manage sudden incidents.'

However, he also noted, 'It is an infectious disease, and there is the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Law, which must be disclosed according to the law. As a local government, I can only disclose information after obtaining authorization.' This point was not well understood by many at the time.

Zhou Xianwang further remarked, 'Later, especially on January 20, when the State Council held an executive meeting... requiring local responsibility, our work became much more proactive after that.'

His comments were interpreted by many as an attempt to deflect blame for his early missteps during the pandemic or to suggest that the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was responsible for concealing the outbreak.

When Zhou Xianwang ordered the lockdown, he sought to alleviate the panic among Wuhan residents by quoting a well-known saying: 'We believe that as long as it aids in disease control and ensures the safety and health of the people... because closing the doors (the lockdown) ultimately leads to accountability, and if the public has concerns, we will resign to apologize to the world.' 

Wuhan was the first city globally to face an outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The city was under lockdown for over a hundred days from January to April 2000, during which countless unimaginable tragedies unfolded. 

On the first anniversary of the lockdown, on January 22, 2021, Zhou Xianwang voluntarily resigned from his role as mayor, citing work-related reasons, and transitioned to the Hubei Provincial Political Consultative Conference. Five years after the lockdown, he faced investigation again, suggesting that he may have had foresight at the time; his statement 'resign to apologize to the world' became a prophecy he could not evade.