China blasts Boris Johnson for urging Brits to get back to work and brands Britain’s handling of coronavirus a ‘mess’
A STATE-CONTROLLED Chinese newspaper has criticised Boris Johnson for telling Brits to return to work and branded the UK's handling of the coronavirus a "mess".
The Global Times, run under the auspices of the ruling communist party, claimed the UK had wasted weeks on a "flippant and ill-prepared" strategy while China "fought hard against the virus".
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The criticism came as the UK government announced the country's death toll had risen to 33,614, placing the country second globally to the US.
The toll in China, where the virus first broke late last year, is only 4,633, though the country's regime has faced accusations of a cover-up.
The article read: "Almost every country was trying to curb the spread of the virus through the standard practice of public health - testing people and tracing contacts - and through restrictive measures such as instituting quarantine and social distancing.
"The UK government led by Boris Johnson adopted an utterly different strategy - "herd immunity" - a policy tantamount to doing nothing."
It added that "scholarly analyses have all suggested that the UK government's response to the crisis was as flippant and ill-prepared" despite is having "sufficient time, many scientific warnings, and examples of other countries".
The article comes as Boris Johnson faces growing pressure to back an independent inquiry into the outbreak and the Chinese government's handling of it in it earliest stages.
It was written following a piece critical of the government by columnist Simon Tisdall that appeared in the Guardian on Sunday.
'UK PUTTING ECONOMY BEFORE VIRUS CONTROL'
The Global Times also criticised the government's latest advice, announced by Boris Johnson on Sunday, that any Brits not able to work from home should return to work.
It said the fact the announcement had been made before a "test, trace, isolate" system had been put in place meant the prime minister was "apparently prioritizing concerns about economic damage over virus control".
The UK government is currently developing a "test, track, and trace" app that will tell people if they have been in contact with someone later diagnosed with coronavirus.
The app is currently being trialled on the Isle of Wight.
The article also took aim at Donald Trump, saying the UK had entered a "chase after a US president who is the 'greatest of all coronavirus failures'".
It concluded: "The UK is not supposed to end up like this.
"After all, it is where the Industrial Revolution started. It has abundant capital and medical resources.
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"To put it in Chinese proverbs, it didn't play well despite having good cards in hand."
The Global Times is known as a staunch backer of the Chinese regime and for attacking the regime's critics.
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