"As long as it helps contain the spread of virus, I'm willing to resign as a form of apology," Wuhan mayor Zhou Xianwang said in an exclusive interview with CCTV when being asked about the sudden lockdown decision the local government made after the novel coronavirus outbreak, Eurasia Diary reports citing CGTN.
On Monday, Zhou, wearing a blue surgical mask, said the lockdown decision was a really tough one. "For a city with over 10 million population, a lockdown decision has never been seen in human history, we shut down the city to cut the spread of virus, but it's likely we'll leave a bad reputation in history."
Roads in Wuhan, the epicenter of the new coronavirus outbreak, were declared closed since Saturday.
Vehicles are banned in the city's major districts, which have brought much trouble to residents. Wuhan resident Bao Shibing told CGTN she is very worried about her 92-year-old father, who has a burn injury and needs to get his wound dressing changed in hospital two times a week. She did not know how she could get her father to the hospital amid traffic restrictions.
Medical staff also complained that it might take them one or two hours to get to the hospital.