However Chinese authorities received criticism for their initial handling of the epidemic , as an unnamed UN diplomat said that the `` World Health Organization is so much in thrall to China 's influence , they have felt compelled to stay close to China 's line on this crisis ... to downplay this virus ... until its position became untenable '' , while John Mackenzie of the WHO 's emergency committee told the Financial Times that that `` China must have been withholding information on new cases from the WHO '' . < ref name= '' auto9 '' > In reaction to the central authorities ' decision to implement a transportation ban in Wuhan , WHO representative Gauden Galea remarked that while it was `` certainly not a recommendation the WHO has made '' , it was also `` a very important indication of the commitment to contain the epidemic in the place where it is most concentrated '' and called it `` unprecedented in public health history '' .
Chinese authorities received criticism for their initial handling of coronavirus pandemic .