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| A ‘Blue Great Wall’ Divides a City as It Battles the Coronavirus | A ‘Blue Great Wall’ Divides a City as It Battles the Coronavirus |
| (7 days later) | |
| They call it the “Blue Great Wall.” | They call it the “Blue Great Wall.” |
| The cobalt-hued metal sheets sprang up just weeks ago across Tianjin, a port city of over 15 million people in northeastern China. They crisscrossed streets and alleyways. They cut off businesses from their customers. They separated neighbor from neighbor. | The cobalt-hued metal sheets sprang up just weeks ago across Tianjin, a port city of over 15 million people in northeastern China. They crisscrossed streets and alleyways. They cut off businesses from their customers. They separated neighbor from neighbor. |
| “From this day forward,” read the signs affixed to many of them, “this residential community will be managed in a closed-off way.” | “From this day forward,” read the signs affixed to many of them, “this residential community will be managed in a closed-off way.” |
| Barriers of all kinds have sprung up across China. The country is battling the outbreak of a disease called Covid-19, which has killed more than 3,000 people and sickened tens of thousands more. It is caused by a new coronavirus, so named for the spiky protrusions that cover its microscopic surface. | Barriers of all kinds have sprung up across China. The country is battling the outbreak of a disease called Covid-19, which has killed more than 3,000 people and sickened tens of thousands more. It is caused by a new coronavirus, so named for the spiky protrusions that cover its microscopic surface. |
| To stop the coronavirus from spreading further, the Chinese government is thinking up new ways to separate its people. Traveling between many of its cities has ground to a virtual halt, freezing large swaths of the world’s second-largest economy. | To stop the coronavirus from spreading further, the Chinese government is thinking up new ways to separate its people. Traveling between many of its cities has ground to a virtual halt, freezing large swaths of the world’s second-largest economy. |
| The Chinese Communist Party has spent decades pressuring and cajoling a historically fractious nation of 1.4 billion people to see China as a united country. Now, it is keeping them apart. | The Chinese Communist Party has spent decades pressuring and cajoling a historically fractious nation of 1.4 billion people to see China as a united country. Now, it is keeping them apart. |
| Barriers have risen up at the neighborhood level, too. Guards now surround many residential complexes. In some places, only one member of a household can leave home at a time to go grocery shopping or just get a breath of fresh air. | Barriers have risen up at the neighborhood level, too. Guards now surround many residential complexes. In some places, only one member of a household can leave home at a time to go grocery shopping or just get a breath of fresh air. |
| Some places, like Tianjin, have erected walls around entire neighborhoods. Officials in those places have discovered that metal sheets, the type typically used to keep people from wandering onto construction sites, make handy walls. | Some places, like Tianjin, have erected walls around entire neighborhoods. Officials in those places have discovered that metal sheets, the type typically used to keep people from wandering onto construction sites, make handy walls. |
| China has plenty of those types of sheets lying around. For years, the country has turbocharged its economic growth by building. Office complexes, highways, airports, shopping malls, steel mills — some barely used — stand as monuments to a single-minded devotion to growth. | China has plenty of those types of sheets lying around. For years, the country has turbocharged its economic growth by building. Office complexes, highways, airports, shopping malls, steel mills — some barely used — stand as monuments to a single-minded devotion to growth. |
| To fuel that growth, local governments and government-controlled companies borrowed money from the country’s state-run financial system. Now, China’s economic growth is slowing — a phenomenon that predates the coronavirus outbreak — and the local debt load across the country is estimated to total in the trillions of dollars. | To fuel that growth, local governments and government-controlled companies borrowed money from the country’s state-run financial system. Now, China’s economic growth is slowing — a phenomenon that predates the coronavirus outbreak — and the local debt load across the country is estimated to total in the trillions of dollars. |
| Perhaps no place in China embodies that mind-set more than Tianjin. | Perhaps no place in China embodies that mind-set more than Tianjin. |
| Tianjin was long one of the fastest-growing places in the country. It got there by introducing ambitious plans to build industrial parks, economic zones and glamorous skyscrapers, some among the tallest in the world. One glassy district promotes itself as China’s Manhattan. | Tianjin was long one of the fastest-growing places in the country. It got there by introducing ambitious plans to build industrial parks, economic zones and glamorous skyscrapers, some among the tallest in the world. One glassy district promotes itself as China’s Manhattan. |
| Now the bill is coming due. Tianjin officials recently admitted that they had overstated growth, and it is now one of China’s worst-performing cities. Many of its construction sites had gone idle. Experts estimate its debt load totals hundreds of billions of dollars. | Now the bill is coming due. Tianjin officials recently admitted that they had overstated growth, and it is now one of China’s worst-performing cities. Many of its construction sites had gone idle. Experts estimate its debt load totals hundreds of billions of dollars. |
| When the coronavirus struck, local officials sprang into action. The district of Heping in particular seized on the city’s huge supply of blue-colored construction walls as a way to stop the virus’s spread. It helps that Tianjin neighbors Hebei Province, an industrial area where steel mills are plentiful and supplies can be easily found. | When the coronavirus struck, local officials sprang into action. The district of Heping in particular seized on the city’s huge supply of blue-colored construction walls as a way to stop the virus’s spread. It helps that Tianjin neighbors Hebei Province, an industrial area where steel mills are plentiful and supplies can be easily found. |
| Heping officials called the steel sheets the “Blue Great Wall,” though it is in fact a series of smaller walls across the district. The name is a reference to the Great Wall, which China’s imperial leaders built to ward off northern nomads in another era. Though it did not end up helping much, it symbolizes national determination. | Heping officials called the steel sheets the “Blue Great Wall,” though it is in fact a series of smaller walls across the district. The name is a reference to the Great Wall, which China’s imperial leaders built to ward off northern nomads in another era. Though it did not end up helping much, it symbolizes national determination. |
| Updated July 7, 2020 | |
| The coronavirus can stay aloft for hours in tiny droplets in stagnant air, infecting people as they inhale, mounting scientific evidence suggests. This risk is highest in crowded indoor spaces with poor ventilation, and may help explain super-spreading events reported in meatpacking plants, churches and restaurants. It’s unclear how often the virus is spread via these tiny droplets, or aerosols, compared with larger droplets that are expelled when a sick person coughs or sneezes, or transmitted through contact with contaminated surfaces, said Linsey Marr, an aerosol expert at Virginia Tech. Aerosols are released even when a person without symptoms exhales, talks or sings, according to Dr. Marr and more than 200 other experts, who have outlined the evidence in an open letter to the World Health Organization. | |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. |
| Scientists around the country have tried to identify everyday materials that do a good job of filtering microscopic particles. In recent tests, HEPA furnace filters scored high, as did vacuum cleaner bags, fabric similar to flannel pajamas and those of 600-count pillowcases. Other materials tested included layered coffee filters and scarves and bandannas. These scored lower, but still captured a small percentage of particles. | Scientists around the country have tried to identify everyday materials that do a good job of filtering microscopic particles. In recent tests, HEPA furnace filters scored high, as did vacuum cleaner bags, fabric similar to flannel pajamas and those of 600-count pillowcases. Other materials tested included layered coffee filters and scarves and bandannas. These scored lower, but still captured a small percentage of particles. |
| A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico. | A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico. |
| The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth. | The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth. |
| The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave. | The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave. |
| So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. | So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. |
| A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. | A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) |
| If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. |
| The local government said in a statement that the Blue Great Wall blocks off side entrances into communities and lets officials more easily track people moving through main entrances. | The local government said in a statement that the Blue Great Wall blocks off side entrances into communities and lets officials more easily track people moving through main entrances. |
| “The Heping district manages and controls complex entrances to block any unnecessary access into a community and maintains only a main entrance, building a ‘Blue Great Wall’ of security,” a statement from the district government said. | “The Heping district manages and controls complex entrances to block any unnecessary access into a community and maintains only a main entrance, building a ‘Blue Great Wall’ of security,” a statement from the district government said. |
| The local government-controlled news media has reported that residents feel more at ease now that the Blue Great Wall has been erected. But it has also reported that people have found gaps and bent the walls in places to more easily get through. Like its inspiration, the Blue Great Wall ultimately cannot stop human nature. | The local government-controlled news media has reported that residents feel more at ease now that the Blue Great Wall has been erected. But it has also reported that people have found gaps and bent the walls in places to more easily get through. Like its inspiration, the Blue Great Wall ultimately cannot stop human nature. |