The reports from China’s health crisis as the number of infected individuals and casualties steadily increase, seemingly without any indication of slowing, are frightening to say the least. Crossing Borders missionaries returning to the United States from South Korea following the coronavirus outbreak reported that they were subject to intense questioning regarding their travel itinerary and current health. We are relieved to state that as of now, no one in Crossing Borders’ staff - both domestic or abroad - have been affected by the virus.
The Chinese government is under more scrutiny and criticism than ever as cases of the coronavirus infection have spread abroad and even to the United States. There are indications that the nation’s leaders may have hindered the process of declaring the virus as an emergency, as first cases are noted to have been discovered as early as December 26, 2019. Two cities, Wuhan and Huanggang, have been officially quarantined while major forms of transportation throughout the region of the virus’ outbreak have been put on hold.
Currently, China’s Health Commission has assessed that up to 24,324* people are confirmed to have been infected. The rapid transmission of the virus between individuals and the difficulty of identifying infections has revealed significant issues in China’s healthcare system. The inequality of resources and shortage of available medical supplies in regions with lower priority has contributed to ineffective infrastructures designed to prevent, diagnose and treat individuals. Throughout the Hubei province, citizens are lined up outside of hospitals in cold and in rain, waiting to have their symptoms tested. Experts note that the rate of infection may actually be much higher than reported, as well as the mortality rate as the death toll is almost at 500* in China. An antiviral treatment is yet to be discovered.
The Chinese government’s response to the virus has been to seal off multiple cities, close down schools, and keep close checks on citizens by enacting stricter regulations on travel with specific regions in complete lockdown. Overall, security in the country has increased significantly. Affecting over 56 million people in regions most affected by the coronavirus, these processes may, however, make it more difficult for supplies to reach hospitals and treatment centers. Expanded surveillance and monitoring of individuals has been enacted by the government for tracing the travel and interactions of the infected individuals. The vast network of China’s facial recognition software and digital records are being used to track individuals’ usage of public transportation and travel.
For North Korean refugees, an incredibly vulnerable population of up to 200,000 people in China, the coronavirus has several expected and unforeseen impacts. On the one hand, access to medical treatment is already precariously low for North Koreans, who are labeled “illegal economic migrants” by the Chinese government. In a country where identification is needed for every health clinic, North Korean refugees cannot seek help without risking arrest and repatriation. This not only means that seeking treatment is an impossibility for North Koreans in hiding, but that refugees will be unable to even seek diagnoses for potential symptoms of the coronavirus. For many refugees in Crossing Borders’ network who often live in remote, impoverished villages without regular access to healthcare, it may not be possible for individuals to gain access to medical supplies.
A second and perhaps equally dangerous impact of the coronavirus outbreak is a significant increase in the level of security in China as the government has expanded its normal level of surveillance and population control. North Korean refugees in hiding will have to hide and evade authorities more cautiously than ever, perhaps even avoid regular modes of travel that do not require identification, such as local buses or specific main roads in their region. For North Koreans who need to travel for safety or meet with their community, danger of arrest will be higher than normal.
Please pray for the North Korean refugees who are reaping unexpected and dangerous consequences of the coronavirus outbreak in China. Please pray for their health and security, that they might be protected from both sickness and those who might do them even greater harm.
* Please note that statistics reported in this post were based on the latest updates on Feb 5, 2020. Numbers may have increased significantly.
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