Firing up the economy again will help Wuhan and the nation

That Hubei province accounts for 70 percent of the 28,130 novel coronavirus infections in the country, and 97 percent of the 564 deaths－as of Thursday afternoon－is heartrending. But the concentration of the cases in the province and the widening divergence with the national trend are also a source of optimism, as they instill confidence that the prompt and resolute measures taken by the central authorities to contain the outbreak have been effective.

A total of 13 cities in Hubei have been locked down, with Wuhan, the capital of the province and the epicenter of the outbreak, the first to be quarantined, home to 12 million residents. That the city accounts for 36 percent of the confirmed infections and 73 percent of the deaths, shows how necessary it was to segregate the city and its neighbors from the rest of the country.

But that does not mean that they have been left to fend for themselves. Around 10,000 doctors and nurses have been sent to Wuhan along with huge amounts of emergency relief including daily necessities and medical equipment; and a 1,000-bed hospital was built from scratch in 10 days, which demonstrates the strong mobilization capacity of the country.

Nevertheless, the lack of test kits to confirm infections, the lack of space to quarantine suspected cases, the lack of sick beds to hospitalize the infected, and the lack of masks, protective suits, glasses and gloves for medical staff all show that Hubei needs more outside support.

Governments elsewhere, while focusing on their own efforts to curb the spread of the virus, also have to encourage companies to get production going again.

Although China is the world's largest producer of many of these materials, and the fabled China speed of construction is known worldwide, the sudden explosive demand for these materials from a population of 1.4 billion, along with the self-quarantining of workers and the inevitable slowdown of logistics, has aggravated the supply-demand shortfall.

No one should doubt the resilience of the Chinese economy, or the ability of the nation to weather the present crisis. But the industrial sectors in the less-affected regions have no reasons not to resume production and run at full steam to get the economy firing on as many cylinders as possible. All industries should attempt to adapt to what is after all just a temporary new normal.

That some provinces, such as Shandong, have announced plans to resume normal production this month is therefore positive and welcome news.

Wuhan and Hubei need the support of a strong economy, now and for their recovery afterward. And the nation needs production to start getting up steam so the economy is ready to regain full vitality as soon as the brakes are released.