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File Photo: A Chinese doctor conducts acupuncture treatment for a patient at the Katutura State Hospital in Windhoek, capital of Namibia, May 11, 2020. (Photo by Sharon Kavhu/Xinhua)
A Namibian analyst on Monday said the the country and its southern African counterparts have a lot to learn from China's response plan against the novel coronavirus.
Political analyst in the University of Namibia Ndumba Kamwanyah made the remarks following the release of a working document by the Chinese Embassy in Windhoek titled "Fighting COVID-19, China in Action".
The document shows how China used its resources to deal with a potentially dangerous situation caused by COVID-19 through astute leadership.
"Through painstaking efforts and tremendous sacrifice, and having paid a heavy price, China has succeeded in turning the situation around. In little more than a single month, the rising spread of the virus was contained; in around two months, the daily increase in domestic coronavirus cases had fallen to single digits; and in approximately three months, a decisive victory was secured in the battle to defend Hubei province and its capital city of Wuhan," the report noted in part.
Kamwanyah told Xinhua that China's response plan on the COVID-19 pandemic contained in the document is a good guideline for Namibia and many African countries to deal with the virus.
"It's pretty obvious that figures are spiking in the region and in Namibia per se. We need to look at and learn the way the Chinese government centralized their communication and emergency response plan," he said.
The document also shows how Chinese President Xi assumed full command over the control efforts from the very beginning.
"He highlighted the need to put people's lives and health first, to firm up confidence, strengthen solidarity, adopt a science-based approach, and take targeted measures. He called for a nationwide effort to block the spread of the virus and defeat it," the report noted.
Kamwanyah added that Namibia and African governments also need to take a cue in strengthening home-grown solutions like China before relying heavily on outside help.
