(Image source from: CNN.com)

While there has been constant speculation over the authenticity of the data provided by the Chinese officials, Missouri has filed a lawsuit against the country over poor judgement and management of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Missouri is the first US State that has filed the lawsuit against China, alleging that the capital city, Beijing has suppressed crucial data, arrested the whistleblowers and even denied the nature of this novel coronavirus that has created a pandemic across the world and created irreparable damages to the countries.

The lawsuit has been filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri against Chinese Government by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt.

According to the allegations of the lawsuit, it blames China for hiding the data and crucial information during the initial weeks of the outbreak. It says that not only did it deceive the public but also suppressed some of the crucial data and information that could otherwise be of use to prevent the further spread.

They have also been accused of destroying critical medical research, not taking quicker steps to prevent further spread of the virus and even hoarded the personal protective equipment (PPE) that lead to a global pandemic.

"COVID-19 has done irreparable damage to countries across the globe, causing sickness, death, economic disruption, and human suffering. In Missouri, the impact of the virus is very real - thousands have been infected and many have died, families have been separated from dying loved ones, small businesses are shuttering their doors, and those living paycheck to paycheck are struggling to put food on their table," Schmitt reported.

Schmitt further went on to say that the Chinese government lied about the danger and contagious impacts of this virus. They did the bare minimum to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. He believes that the authorities and everyone involved should be held accountable for such actions.

According to the data presented in the lawsuit, the Chinese authorities had enough data and evidence to alert people about the human to human transmission by the end of December but failed to inform anyone.

Despite all the evidence that they had collected, the Chinese officials didn’t inform anyone about the outbreak, not even to the World Health Organization until December 31, 2019. But, finally when the same was reported, they didn’t mention of the risks of the human to human transmission of the virus.

Not just the information, despite all the data and evidence, the Chinese officials didn’t take immediate measures to contain the disease.

According to the data published by New York Times, over 175,000 people left Wuhan on January 01,2020 because of the Lunar New Year. The Chinese government did nothing to stop the New Year celebrations, even though that was a necessity at the time.

The lawsuit further seeks relief from China on several counts of public nuisance, inflicting abnormally dangerous activities, and even on the breach of duty. Senator Ben Sasse, a member of the Senate Select Committee was on the side on the lawsuit.

"The Chinese Communist Party did what authoritarians always do: they hid the truth to save their hides. Chairman Xi's lies have killed hundreds of thousands of innocent people and wreaked untold economic damage," Sasse said.

Sasse believes that the officials have silenced people who alerted them and even hid thousands of important scientific data and refused access to health officials until late February, almost two months after the initial outbreak.

"My bill strips China, and any other country which intentionally misleads the WHO, of its sovereign immunity, and allows Americans to sue the Chinese government in court for the damages they have suffered as a consequence of China's misrepresentations to the world about the seriousness and nature of the novel coronavirus," Congressman Chris Smith stated saying.

China has previously denied all accusations of hiding of information and scientific data from public records. They have reported that they didn’t deny or delay reporting any of the cases that have been confirmed in the country.

By Somapika Dutta