Missouri has become the first state to file a lawsuit against the Chinese government over its handling of the coronavirus — claiming that misinformation from Beijing during the early stages of the outbreak cost some residents their lives.
In a petition filed in a Show-Me State federal court on Tuesday, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt claims that Beijingās ācampaign of deceitā around COVID-19 is to blame for the virus’ death toll in his state — which stood at 189 as of Tuesday, according to health officials.
āThe Chinese government lied to the world about the danger and contagiouą½§s nature of COVID-19, silenced whistleblowers, and did little to stop the spread of the disease. They must be held accountable for their actions,ā Schmitt said in a release.
The Missouri AG claims that China has made the pandemic worse by āhoardingā personal protective equipment as the virus continues to ravage the globe.
Schmitt alleges that the outbreak has cost Missouri ābillionsāš in damages, court papers state.
While Missouri is the first state to sue the Chinese government for its initial handling of the COVID-19 outbreak, groups of healthcare workers and business owners have already filed petitions against Beijing and the ruling Cš³hinese Communist Party containing similar claims.
For their part, Chinese officials have publicly denied accusations that leaders misled the public about the extent oš¹f the outbreak.