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 .
China 's economy was hit hard during the first 8 weeks of COVID-19 in 2020 as a result of measures put in place to slow down the infection .