Xi Jinping had no problem locking down cities after he learned the severity of it. It's ludicrous to think he knew it in December but somehow decided it was a good idea to wait till it spread to the whole country to do it.
- He had no problems locking down cities after the severity became known. Is fairly Reasonable to think that in the beginning they thought it was something they could keep quiet and it would go away
- people in China don’t report things that might be negative for fear of consequences, he is creating a situation where he doesn’t get to know things before it’s too late this way
In fact, I am suspicious of anyone who knows anything about this and claims otherwise.