by justin ling
just before the new year, dr. li wenliang issued a bold warning on weibo, a chinese social media platform. he warned his colleagues to don appropriate protective gear, as a new, unidentified, virus was emerging in hospitals around wuhan.
for that bravery, dr. li was investigated by local authorities, and summoned to a police station. he was forced to sign a letter playing down the risk of the virus, under penalty of prison.
the doctor has been lionized for standing up to china’s bumbling, ham-fisted attempt to control this virus by limiting the flow of information. dr. li was, himself, evidence of how dangerous that is — he, tragically, died in early february from the virus he first warned of.
i’m left thinking of dr. li, as canada faces its own covid-19 crisis. while public health advice has informed government policy on most fronts, ottawa has ignored advice to curb the spread of the virus in federal prisons.
despite statements to the contrary from correctional service canada (csc) headquarters, inmates have not been given hand sanitizer or additional soap; inmates with fevers are being thrown in solitary confinement; corrections officers are not exercising social distancing; new inmates are not being isolated; and there are medication shortages for inmates with asthma, amongst a bevy of other massive problems. i can report this because dozens of inmates have, in recent weeks, picked up the phone to call me and other journalists. they have painted a picture of a system grossly unprepared, and buckling under the weight of a pandemic.