China is trying to balance the fight against the virus and protecting the economy

At a time when more than half of China’s population are in some form of restriction, or not locked up, the economy almost came to a halt, business leaders and economists increasingly argue that the efforts of the Beijing anti-coronavirus harm the lives and livelihood of citizens, at the same time contributing little to halt the spread of the virus.

“Achieve balance, which promotes the protection of life,” wrote James Liang, Executive Chairman Trip.com the largest Chinese online travel Agency, in a widely circulated this week’s essay.

Experts say that between the economy and fight the virus takes place by the existence of the Golden mean. Jennifer Huang Buoys, an epidemiologist from Georgetown University, believes that a very strong emphasis on hand washing and immediate isolation of patients may be more effective than mass quarantines.

The Chinese government is already taking these actions — in fact, local governments require companies to establish wash stations for employees before resuming production. But at the moment the national and local authorities in China are reporting that the quarantine is still needed as a complementary measure, given the lack of proven vaccines or medical treatment of a new disease.

On Thursday, officials in Beijing announced measures to assist businesses struggling with the effects of coronavirus.