One year since the end of the covid-19 pandemic, which killed millions: A new convention is on the way! It is supposed to correct the shortcomings

Chinese scientist Zhang Jungchen, who was the first to publish the genome of the new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus at the beginning of 2020, announced that the authorities allowed him to return to the laboratory after a few days. In protest against the eviction, he has been sitting in front of his workplace since the weekend, the AP agency reported.

In a post on Chinese social network Weibo, Zhang said the medical center where the lab is located has given him and his team permission to return and continue research for the time being. “Now team members can freely enter the lab again,” wrote Chang.

At the same time, the scientist said that Mra plan for moving the laboratory is being discussed with the health center so that the work of the team is not disrupted.

Virologist Zhang Jungchen mapped the genome of the coronavirus based on a sample taken at the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic from a patient in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the infection was first recorded. He published the result without the permission of the Chinese government. Chang complains that since then, his workplace has faced constant obstacles.

On Monday, the scientist said in a post on the Internet that with his team a few days ago, he received an unexpected call from the authorities to evict him from the laboratory, and security did not let him in over the weekend.

Since then, the scientist has been sitting on a cardboard box outside the entrance to the laboratory, at times in the rain, and his colleagues on the spot unfurled a banner saying We want to resume normal scientific work. News of the protest spread quickly on Chinese social media.

The Shanghai Clinical Center of Public Health reported that Chang’s laboratory was closed for “security reasons” and for renovation.

According to the center, Chang’s team was given a different space for laboratory work. However, Chang countered that the offer of a new workplace came only after the eviction and that the new lab does not meet the safety standards his team demands.

According to The Guardian, the actions of the Chinese authorities show how the Chinese government continues to pressure scientists and is trying to avoid a review of its response to covid-19 early in its spread.

After Zhang and his team read the genome of the virus on January 5, 2020, they sent an alert to Chinese authorities, warning of its possible spread. But the next day they found the laboratory temporarily closed.

Zhang eventually made the genome public without seeking government permission, allowing the development of diagnostic tests and a vaccine. While Zhang received awards in the world, China began to prevent him from cooperating with former colleagues and removed him from his position at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, writes The Guardian.