Damage to the global economy has been felt in China as well : according to a media report on 16 March , the economy in China was very hard hit in the first two months of 2020 due to the measures taken by the government to curtail virus spread , and retail sales plunged 20.5 % .On 23 March , mainland China had gone five days with only one case transmitted domestically , in this instance via a traveller returning to Guangzhou from Istanbul .
On 16 March , it was reported that the Chinese economy suffered in January and February , 2020 , with retail sales dropping by 20.5 % due to the measures taken to fight the 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic .