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Seven in 10 people back city lockdowns to contain coronavirus, says poll
China has locked down cities to restrict the movement of hundreds of millions of citizens in an effort to prevent the spread of coronavirus, while Italy has also put a string of towns into quarantine.
Seven in 10 people worldwide would support sealing off entire cities or towns affected by coronavirus to slow the spread of infection, according to a poll of citizens in 10 countries as reported by news agency Reuters.
Reuters quoted results from a survey by polling firm Ipsos to say that a clear majority backed lockdowns to prevent anyone entering or leaving urban areas that have seen large numbers of coronavirus cases.
“This underscores the seriousness with which citizens are taking this issue and their willingness to support strong government measures to control the spread of Covid-19,” said Darrell Bricker, head of Ipsos Public Affairs on the survey in which responses of 10,000 adults in 10 nations - Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, Britain, the United States and Vietnam - were registered.
“Even in Italy, where this is already happening, 60% support the total quarantine of affected towns and cities.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that the number of people infected with Covid-19 has topped 94,000, as it spreads to more countries. The WHO warned that there is a “very high” risk from the disease worldwide.
China has imposed lockdown policies that restrict the movement of hundreds of millions of citizens in an effort to prevent new infections, while Italy has also put a string of towns into quarantine.
Rights advocates have expressed alarm over intrusive surveillance measures used by countries including China and Russia to enforce quarantine rules.
California Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday declared a state of emergency after the state reported its first death from coronavirus. California has confirmed 53 cases of the virus as of Wednesday afternoon.
The outbreak, which was first reported in China’s Wuhan, has since spread to more than 60 countries, killing over 3000 people.
