A woman from Wuhan, China is suing the Chinese government for the death of her father, and for covering up facts about COVID-19. The woman, Zhao Lei, is looking for compensation and a public apology.
A woman from Wuhan, China is suing the Chinese government for the death of her father, and for covering up facts about COVID-19. The woman, Zhao Lei, is looking for compensation and a public apology.
Lei, 39, in conversation with Sky News, accused the authorities of hiding facts of the virus. "I think the government covered up some facts," she told Sky News.
Lei said that due to the virus cover-up, people didn't limit their movements and continued to live their life before the outbreak turned in to pandemic.
"Because of this, Wuhan people carried on living like before, they celebrated Chinese New Year normally, without taking any protection. It meant my father got infected and died," Lei said.
Zhao Lei's father had contracted the COVID-19 virus at the end of January. Due to the pressure on health services, the ambulances could not take her father to the hospital. The family had to walk six miles before they got picked up by a local vehicle.
Unfortunately, Lei's father passed away from respiratory failure while waiting for treatment in the emergency room.
Lei said that she holds the government accountable for this. "I think the government covered up the fact that coronavirus could spread from people to people. I hold the government accountable and ask them to pay the due price."
Lei's application has already been rejected by the municipal court and her mother has also got a warning of dropping the case and not talking publicly about it.
Some reports suggest that several Chinese citizen journalists who reported from Wuhan were detained by authorities, with some still in custody.
Zhao Lei is now taking her case to the supreme court of Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital.
"I think my lawsuit is good for our country. It can warn people that if we have a disaster next time, we could do something to prevent bad outcomes. We can save more people," she said.
Zhao Lei was also infected with COVID-19 soon after her father and is still feeling its mental effects.
"I won't give up. I hope to get justice for my father's death. I don't want my father to have died for nothing," Lei said.
Children have now returned to school in Wuhan, the original epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic.
Wuhan currently has no confirmed Covid-19 cases.
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