Mayor Chu Tien Vuong said he had to ask his boss for approval before announcing the outbreak of pneumonia during an outbreak in Wuhan City.

"As a local official, after getting information about the translation, I had to get approval from my superior before it was released," Wuhan Mayor Zhou Qian Wang told an interview with China Central Television (CCTV). on January 27 of the reason not to promptly notify the public during the new outbreak of nCoV pneumonia.

Mr. Zhou acknowledged that he had no authority to release information on the pneumonia epidemic before getting permission from higher authorities, apparently referring to the central government in Beijing.

Zhou stressed that after the Chinese State Council meeting and acknowledged the corona virus as a Grade B infection, the Wuhan authorities quickly took drastic steps, including a decision to blockade the city.

However, Zhou and Wuhan government officials are suffering from criticism for delaying weeks before making a decision to blockade the city, when about 5 million of the 11 million people have left the country. Phuong. Local correspondent Qingqing Chen said the first outbreak occurred in mid-December, but many people in Wuhan by the end of January were still unaware that this was a major public health crisis.

In the face of criticism about hiding the translation, Zhou said his role in this crisis was misinterpreted and described himself as a "scapegoat" in public opinion.

"Perhaps our name will go down in history with the stigma of blocking the city to prevent viruses, but as long as the epidemic control and safety of the people is more effective, me and the Secretary Wuhan Municipal Party Committee Ma Qiangqiang is ready to take responsibility, including resignation, "Zhou said, adding that he scored 80/100 points on how to handle the crisis.

To date, China has had 131 deaths from pneumonia, 5,515 infected people and 6,973 suspected infections. Pandemic pneumonia has been reported in Thailand, USA, France, Canada, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, Singapore, Nepal and Australia. Wuhan has been blocked, and public transport in 18 other cities in Hubei Province has been stopped to limit spread.