Pricey reader,
On January eight this yr, Washington Put up reporters Gerry Shih and Lena Solar reported an outbreak of an “unidentified and possibly new viral disease in central China” that was sending alarms throughout Asia prematurely of the Lunar New Yr journey season.
Already, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Thailand and the Philippines have been considering quarantine zones and scanning vacationers from China for “indicators of fever or different pneumonia-like signs that will point out a brand new illness presumably linked to a wild animal market in Wuhan.”
Gerry is a correspondent for us in China, with intensive journalistic expertise within the nation. Lena, a former Beijing bureau chief for The Put up, is a veteran nationwide reporter masking well being, with a selected give attention to public well being and infectious ailments. Each are fluent in Mandarin.
These two reporters launched our protection of the coronavirus and the illness Covid-19, declared this month to be a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Lena and Gerry are emblematic of the extremely expert journalists The Washington Put up has deployed to cowl this advanced, ever-expanding and profoundly critical story.
[Complete coronavirus coverage: Live updates, what you need to know, how to prepare]
Now we have drawn on our whole workers – all through the world and in the US – to convey you important well being info and the most recent information whereas additionally digging into the explanations for the speedy unfold of this illness, the generally chaotic and counterproductive decision-making by governments and the impression on residents and medical methods. A whole bunch of our journalists have been enlisted on this effort, and they’re working tirelessly across the clock.
Because the unfold of coronavirus has touched our beloved faculties, our favourite sports activities groups, our locations of labor and prayer, our leisure venues and our household incomes and investments – nearly each facet of our every day lives – we at The Put up absolutely perceive our duty to maintain you knowledgeable. We additionally intention to maintain shut watch on what public officers, non-public firms, well being suppliers and others are doing – or failing to do – to reply to a disaster of sprawling, unprecedented proportions.
I’m pleased with the dedication and expertise my colleagues have dropped at this essential story. They want stamina, too, they usually have loads of it. We’re ready to cowl each facet of this story for an extended interval, with the readability and command of the topic that’s required.
We’re deeply grateful to our subscribers for making this protection potential. The journalistic sources needed are immense and rising, and we couldn’t do our work with out subscriber assist. As a result of the well being disaster is so pressing and is more likely to spare nobody, we now have made a considerable portion of our protection free to all. That features our tales about core information developments in addition to tales that talk vital well being info. We also offer a free newsletter with links to stories for which there is no charge. You can get that newsletter by signing up here.
Information continues on many different fronts as effectively. There’s a lot to cowl, notably within the midst of a presidential marketing campaign and protracted overseas conflicts. We are going to keep on high of these tales with experience and vigor.
For these of you who’ve but to subscribe to The Put up, I wish to make you conscious of our present introductory annual price. At the price of eight cents a day, or $29 per year, you can have full access to our coverage of every subject.
I hope you’ll agree that a first-year subscription at that value is a cut price for journalism that’s on the coronary heart of our democracy and that’s, particularly now, important to public well being. You can subscribe here.
Thanks once more for studying The Washington Put up, and please keep secure and wholesome throughout a interval in contrast to any of us has ever seen earlier than.
Sincerely,
