Despite such observations, authorities prioritized how to "control the society" and "manipulate public opinion" to view China's efforts to contain the virus positively, according to internal government reports that The Epoch Times obtained.

Authorities in the city of Shiyan, for example, listed their working targets as:

"monitor closely petitioners and people whose benefits have been severely damaged"—in other words, people most likely to dissent against the authorities;

"strictly prevent key people and groups from assembling and making trouble;"

and "punish heavily the people who spread improper speech or rumors related to the epidemic."

'Increased Social Anger'

The Political and Legal Affairs Commission (PLAC) is a Communist Party agency that oversees the country's security apparatus, including police, courts, and prisons. In the wake of the outbreak, local branches of the PLAC in Xiaogan, Shiyan, Xiantao, and other cities within Hubei, have recently written up "working reports on how to control society."