Did you miss the part when they arrested doctors who reported the virus because they didn't want to deal with the virus during a local government meeting and banquet?
http://www.xinhuanet.com/politics/2020-01/28/c_1125508460.ht...
Google Translated: https://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&...
https://www.guancha.cn/politics/2020_01_01_530191.shtml?s=zw...
>Piecing together the events in Wuhan shows that for at least three weeks before the banquet, city authorities had been informed about the virus spreading in their midst but issued orders to suppress the news. (https://www.ft.com/content/fa83463a-4737-11ea-aeb3-955839e06... linked above)