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Wuhan Mayor Zhou Xianwang said that he and the city's Party secretary are willing to resign if it helps to contain the novel coronavirus which originated from the city and had infected 2,744 and killed 80 as of Sunday midnight.

Zhou, mayor of the city at the center of the epidemic, made the remarks during an exclusive interview with China Central Television on Monday.

Zhou admitted that the lockdown of Wuhan, a city with a population of more than 10 million, was a tough decision and a first in human history.  

"Maybe Wuhan officials will be nailed by history with a bad reputation for doing so and locking up the virus inside the city… but as long as it helps contain the coronavirus, we are willing to take whatever responsibility… including the resignation of Wuhan Party Secretary Ma Guoqiang and myself," Zhou said.

 He also admitted that information was not disclosed in a timely manner at the preliminary stage of the virus outbreak.

But Zhou asked the public for their understanding as the local government could only disclose information after obtaining authorization. The mayor noted that after a meeting held by the State Council to recognize the coronavirus as a type B infectious disease and to manage it as type A infectious disease, work such as the lockdown of the city and suspension of public transportation has been progressing smoothly. 

He admitted there's still room for the Wuhan government to improve its crisis management. 

At a Sunday conference, Zhou said that demand for protective suits, masks and other materials in Wuhan had eased, contradicting a statement by Wang Xiaodong, governor of Hubei Province at the same conference, that said a lack of medical supplies was still the most pressing issue. The contradiction caused public outrage in China with many questioning the Hubei official's knowledge of front-line medical work. 

Some Chinese netizens said Sunday night's press briefing was a disaster, noting that the Wuhan mayor seemingly had put on his mask upside-down, then could not provide an exact number for medical supplies amid the public health crisis, thereby exposing significant holes in local governance.

Zhou explained on Monday that he was thinking of the situation of Wuhan now that the entire nation has mobilized in supporting and ensuring supply of needed materials, while the governor was speaking about the province as a whole.

Zhou also said that Wuhan residents would be doing the entirety of humanity a great favor if they could go outdoors less.

Finally, Zhou gave his Monday interview a score of 80 out of 100, saying that "if I cannot explain myself clearly in front of your camera, it shows our incompetence as mayor and the city's Party secretary."

Global Times