***BREAKING*** SYNCRO may be right on the VIRUS coming from lab in CHINA *****

[lrrps21]

Depends upon your definition of locked down. 81% of the cases are in Hubei Province. People there and surrounding smaller cities cannot leave their cities. But are somewhat free to move within them. Some places there only allow one person to leave at a time. Such as, going grocery shopping. But essentially no flights to these cities. Or train, busses and limited car traffic. Thatâ€s a lockdown.

Now in Beijing itâ€s like most of the rest of the country. We can come and go. Some small neighborhoods, as most apartment blocks, have set up gates and donâ€t allow non-residents to enter. Some go further and donâ€t allow any traffic from about midnight to 6am. Our apartment complex has no restrictions like this.

You can still travel by plane internationally. Although a lot of carriers have chosen to shut down. Where the restrictions come in is traveling to another province. Technically when you go from province to province you have to self quarantine for two weeks. You can go visit grandma in Jinan, but you are going to be in her house for two weeks and then when you return you will again need to self quarantine for two weeks.

But if you stayed home you can pretty much go where you want in your city. Now, the question is, is anything open to go see.

transition to my Man on the Street Report.
* went to the office today. No problem getting in/out. Even ordered a pizza for lunch.
* some shops and restaurants are starting to open. But Iâ€d say 75-80% still closed.
* traffic up to about 40% of normal (this is an extremely accurate number, good to about the 6th decimal point).
* About 95% of people wearing masks. The ones not wearing them were older men, you know, the demographic group most susceptible to succumbing to the illness.
* exchanged messages with other companies. Everyone wants to try to get people back in the office. Some have started, others will by 2 March.
* people getting tired of this and want to try to live a normal life.

The Asians in the US are staying out of largely populated areas they normally go to. I talk to Asians about their thoughts on the coronoavirus. Almost all will believe the rumors. 

China has two battles to fight the coronavirus and the world's perception. One is actually stronger than the other.

[lrrps21]

The latest rumor going around is that the head of their CDC knew about the virus but wanted to write a paper about it first to get the scientific recognition. By that time, it got out of hand.

This same CDC head is now meeting with the WHO virus support team this weekend.

It's rumored to have started back in 2015.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26552008

[Syncro]

"Putting it in context, the total credit injection of more than 5 trillion yuan, or roughly $725 billion, in one month, was the single biggest on record."

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/china-...omic-crash

[BoyGenius]

#HubeiProvince has told its businesses they are not to resume work before end of March 10. Schools not to re-open until further notice. #coronavirus #China— Eunice Yoon (@onlyyoontv) February 20, 2020

#Coronavirus has affected consumption in Jan, Feb, says Commerce Ministry official. Expects consumption to stay in recovery mode in Q2, and further improve in H2. Hardest hit industries? F&B, lodging, tourism, culture, entertainment. Flagged by @CNBC @chengevelyn. #China — Eunice Yoon (@onlyyoontv) February 20, 2020

Think the Wuhan virus outbreak is slowing? Doesn't feel that way on the ground. My Beijing apt complex just instituted new rules barring nonresidents. We need special passes to get in & out. Only 3 passes/apt. Sorry family of 4. You're out of luck. — Michael Schuman (@MichaelSchuman) February 20, 2020

[BoyGenius]

[BoyGenius]

China tries to balance fighting the virus and protecting the economy... https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/20/world...virus.html

With more than half of Chinaâ€s population now under some form of lockdown, and its economy nearly at a standstill, business leaders and economists are increasingly arguing that Beijingâ€s efforts to fight the coronavirus are hurting peopleâ€s lives and livelihoods while doing little to the stop the virusâ€s spread.

If the country becomes poorer because of emergency health measures, they say, public health could deteriorate more than it would because of the outbreak itself.

“Strike a balance that is conducive to protecting lives,” wrote James Liang, the executive chairman of Trip.com, Chinaâ€s dominant online travel agency, in a widely circulated essay this week.

The debate — including questions about whether mandatory 14-day quarantines, roadblocks and checkpoints are really necessary in areas where there have been few cases — is unusual in a country where dissent is frequently censored.

Experts say there may be a middle ground between helping the economy and fighting the virus. A very strong emphasis on hand washing and on the immediate isolation of the sick may be more effective than mass quarantines, said Jennifer Huang Bouey, a Georgetown University epidemiologist.

The Chinese government is already taking these actions — indeed, local governments have even been requiring companies to set up hand-washing stations for employees before allowing production to resume. But for now, national and local authorities in China say that quarantines are still needed as an additional measure, given the lack of a vaccine or proven medical treatment for the new disease.

On Thursday, officials in Beijing announced steps to help businesses struggling with the impact of the coronavirus.

In Hubei Province, companies of all sizes will be exempt until June from paying the government for three kinds of employee benefits — pension, unemployment insurance and work injury insurance — said You Jun, vice minister for Human Resources and Social Security, at a briefing in Beijing on Thursday.

Outside of Hubei, companies that have no more than 2,000 employees would receive the full exemption until June, and larger companies would be allowed to halve the payments for up to three months.

Mr. You said that the reduction and exemption in payments was expected to save companies more than 500 billion yuan, or more than $71 billion.

[ChinaBuck]

Depends upon your definition of locked down. 81% of the cases are in Hubei Province. People there and surrounding smaller cities cannot leave their cities. But are somewhat free to move within them. Some places there only allow one person to leave at a time. Such as, going grocery shopping. But essentially no flights to these cities. Or train, busses and limited car traffic. Thatâ€s a lockdown.

Now in Beijing itâ€s like most of the rest of the country. We can come and go. Some small neighborhoods, as most apartment blocks, have set up gates and donâ€t allow non-residents to enter. Some go further and donâ€t allow any traffic from about midnight to 6am. Our apartment complex has no restrictions like this.

You can still travel by plane internationally. Although a lot of carriers have chosen to shut down. Where the restrictions come in is traveling to another province. Technically when you go from province to province you have to self quarantine for two weeks. You can go visit grandma in Jinan, but you are going to be in her house for two weeks and then when you return you will again need to self quarantine for two weeks.

But if you stayed home you can pretty much go where you want in your city. Now, the question is, is anything open to go see.

transition to my Man on the Street Report.
* went to the office today. No problem getting in/out. Even ordered a pizza for lunch.
* some shops and restaurants are starting to open. But Iâ€d say 75-80% still closed.
* traffic up to about 40% of normal (this is an extremely accurate number, good to about the 6th decimal point).
* About 95% of people wearing masks. The ones not wearing them were older men, you know, the demographic group most susceptible to succumbing to the illness.
* exchanged messages with other companies. Everyone wants to try to get people back in the office. Some have started, others will by 2 March.
* people getting tired of this and want to try to live a normal life.

The Asians in the US are staying out of largely populated areas they normally go to. I talk to Asians about their thoughts on the coronoavirus. Almost all will believe the rumors. 

China has two battles to fight the coronavirus and the world's perception. One is actually stronger than the other.

The Chinese government has been especially strong in the last week in reports coming in from abroad, especially from views from the US, that may not exactly align with official or unofficial beliefs. They have denied suggestions (and I think rightfully so) that this came from the Wuhan lab. Now they have all of the lab results but have not addressed rumors that the US caused this. They are letting that one float out there. I think more Americans would be trusting of the Chinese government actions if they disavowed that particular rumor too. 
The big issue internally is perception perhaps more than the reality, the psychological damage from the poor response to SARS is still felt. People here are publicly proud of what has been visually accomplished, but privately still nervous. People here love their government for reestablishing a traditional greatness but know behind the scenes perhaps not all has yet been divulged.

[ChinaBuck]

The latest rumor going around is that the head of their CDC knew about the virus but wanted to write a paper about it first to get the scientific recognition. By that time, it got out of hand.

This same CDC head is now meeting with the WHO virus support team this weekend.

It's rumored to have started back in 2015.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26552008

The virus type got the swine flu pandemic that started in Mexico in 2009 was actually discovered in North Carolina in 1998. At that time it was only spread pig to pig, but re-emerged in 2009 after transferring from pigs to people.

[ChinaBuck]

"Putting it in context, the total credit injection of more than 5 trillion yuan, or roughly $725 billion, in one month, was the single biggest on record."

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/china-...omic-crash

Construction in China right now dead flat. Car purchases are down 92% from last year. Manufacturing would be lucky to be up 30% now. In the service sector, most people are still working from home. Thatâ€s a productivity killer. If all goes well, things might be back to normal by 1 May. Maybe...

Iâ€m no economist, but how do you make up for that by the end of the year? Even more credit injection?

[ChinaBuck]

#HubeiProvince has told its businesses they are not to resume work before end of March 10. Schools not to re-open until further notice. #coronavirus #China— Eunice Yoon (@onlyyoontv) February 20, 2020

#Coronavirus has affected consumption in Jan, Feb, says Commerce Ministry official. Expects consumption to stay in recovery mode in Q2, and further improve in H2. Hardest hit industries? F&B, lodging, tourism, culture, entertainment. Flagged by @CNBC @chengevelyn. #China — Eunice Yoon (@onlyyoontv) February 20, 2020

Think the Wuhan virus outbreak is slowing? Doesn't feel that way on the ground. My Beijing apt complex just instituted new rules barring nonresidents. We need special passes to get in & out. Only 3 passes/apt. Sorry family of 4. You're out of luck. — Michael Schuman (@MichaelSchuman) February 20, 2020

First two sound true to me. But the 3rd one is NOT indicative of typical conditions in Beijing. Yes, you have to get an apartment management company pass card that says you live there. We are a family of four, no problem. The family of 5 above us, no problem. I havenâ€t heard about a pass card shortage anywhere and neither has my wife or work colleagues. Maybe the one apartment complex was short on cards.

[ChinaBuck]

Definitely NOT true.

[ChinaBuck]

China tries to balance fighting the virus and protecting the economy... https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/20/world...virus.html

With more than half of Chinaâ€s population now under some form of lockdown, and its economy nearly at a standstill, business leaders and economists are increasingly arguing that Beijingâ€s efforts to fight the coronavirus are hurting peopleâ€s lives and livelihoods while doing little to the stop the virusâ€s spread.

If the country becomes poorer because of emergency health measures, they say, public health could deteriorate more than it would because of the outbreak itself.

“Strike a balance that is conducive to protecting lives,” wrote James Liang, the executive chairman of Trip.com, Chinaâ€s dominant online travel agency, in a widely circulated essay this week.

The debate — including questions about whether mandatory 14-day quarantines, roadblocks and checkpoints are really necessary in areas where there have been few cases — is unusual in a country where dissent is frequently censored.

Experts say there may be a middle ground between helping the economy and fighting the virus. A very strong emphasis on hand washing and on the immediate isolation of the sick may be more effective than mass quarantines, said Jennifer Huang Bouey, a Georgetown University epidemiologist.

The Chinese government is already taking these actions — indeed, local governments have even been requiring companies to set up hand-washing stations for employees before allowing production to resume. But for now, national and local authorities in China say that quarantines are still needed as an additional measure, given the lack of a vaccine or proven medical treatment for the new disease.

On Thursday, officials in Beijing announced steps to help businesses struggling with the impact of the coronavirus.

In Hubei Province, companies of all sizes will be exempt until June from paying the government for three kinds of employee benefits — pension, unemployment insurance and work injury insurance — said You Jun, vice minister for Human Resources and Social Security, at a briefing in Beijing on Thursday.

Outside of Hubei, companies that have no more than 2,000 employees would receive the full exemption until June, and larger companies would be allowed to halve the payments for up to three months.

Mr. You said that the reduction and exemption in payments was expected to save companies more than 500 billion yuan, or more than $71 billion.

This is pretty much what President Xi said over a week ago that there needs to be a balance between saving the economy and saving peopleâ€s health. 
The exemption for paying the social benefits will cut 15-20% of our monthly salary costs. So thatâ€s helpful.

[TcSoup]

South Korea now reporting a Cult like Church has become ground Zero for the Virus reporting 100 cases from their followers.

[BoyGenius]

Definitely NOT true.

I appreciate your comments, especially the direct replies.

[ChinaBuck]

Depends upon your definition of locked down. 81% of the cases are in Hubei Province. People there and surrounding smaller cities cannot leave their cities. But are somewhat free to move within them. Some places there only allow one person to leave at a time. Such as, going grocery shopping. But essentially no flights to these cities. Or train, busses and limited car traffic. Thatâ€s a lockdown.

Now in Beijing itâ€s like most of the rest of the country. We can come and go. Some small neighborhoods, as most apartment blocks, have set up gates and donâ€t allow non-residents to enter. Some go further and donâ€t allow any traffic from about midnight to 6am. Our apartment complex has no restrictions like this.

You can still travel by plane internationally. Although a lot of carriers have chosen to shut down. Where the restrictions come in is traveling to another province. Technically when you go from province to province you have to self quarantine for two weeks. You can go visit grandma in Jinan, but you are going to be in her house for two weeks and then when you return you will again need to self quarantine for two weeks.

But if you stayed home you can pretty much go where you want in your city. Now, the question is, is anything open to go see.

transition to my Man on the Street Report.
* went to the office today. No problem getting in/out. Even ordered a pizza for lunch.
* some shops and restaurants are starting to open. But Iâ€d say 75-80% still closed.
* traffic up to about 40% of normal (this is an extremely accurate number, good to about the 6th decimal point).
* About 95% of people wearing masks. The ones not wearing them were older men, you know, the demographic group most susceptible to succumbing to the illness.
* exchanged messages with other companies. Everyone wants to try to get people back in the office. Some have started, others will by 2 March.
* people getting tired of this and want to try to live a normal life.

The Asians in the US are staying out of largely populated areas they normally go to. I talk to Asians about their thoughts on the coronoavirus. Almost all will believe the rumors. 

China has two battles to fight the coronavirus and the world's perception. One is actually stronger than the other.

The Chinese government has been especially strong in the last week in reports coming in from abroad, especially from views from the US, that may not exactly align with official or unofficial beliefs. They have denied suggestions (and I think rightfully so) that this came from the Wuhan lab. Now they have all of the lab results but have not addressed rumors that the US caused this. They are letting that one float out there. I think more Americans would be trusting of the Chinese government actions if they disavowed that particular rumor too. 
The big issue internally is perception perhaps more than the reality, the psychological damage from the poor response to SARS is still felt. People here are publicly proud of what has been visually accomplished, but privately still nervous. People here love their government for reestablishing a traditional greatness but know behind the scenes perhaps not all has yet been divulged.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/russia-linked...01587.html

what did I tell you? Damn Russkies.