[Black Agnes]

The tinfoil hatter that’s my alter ego wonders if this is an excuse to contain some sort of outbreak of political dissent.

[Tilted Irish Kilt]

Black Agnes :" The tinfoil hatter that’s my alter ego wonders if this is an excuse
to contain some sort of outbreak of political dissent."

Given the authoritarian regime in China
that is a distinct possibility
Also, there is a more recent FReeper posting on which indicated
that Wuhan is the home of an Experimental Pathological Disease research center.
It may, also, be the possibility of an experimental pathogen having "gone in the wild".
China has a history of not being forthcoming with information
and even minimizing disease (ie: SARS), as well as the porcine virus.

[PA Engineer]

The tinfoil hatter that’s my alter ego wonders if this is an excuse to contain some sort of outbreak of political dissent.

I don't think it is tinfoil. Xi has declared himself the new emperor of the modern dynasty. The Mandate of Heaven is culturally ingrained in the Chinese people.

Dynasties collapse during Grand Solar Minimum. Maybe he is trying to escape destiny.