Covid-19: China tries to contain outbreak of freedom of speech, closing critics’ WeChat accounts

Authorities censor intellectuals who have criticised officials’ handling of the outbreak. Posts calling for freedom of speech after the death of Li Wenliang, the doctor punished for alerting people about the virus, are removed. — SCMP

Several Chinese intellectuals have had their social media accounts suspended following their demands for freedom of expression and criticism of the government’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak.

The intellectuals had said the impact of the coronavirus – which had caused more than 78,000 confirmed infections and 2,715 deaths in mainland China as of Wednesday – might have been alleviated if people had been free to raise warnings when there were early signs of an outbreak.