Police are preparing to play a role in enforcing the detention of passengers in Covid quarantine hotels as the government scrambles to launch the stringent new system on 15 February. Government-contracted security guards are expected to be stationed on each floor of the hotels and by entrances and exits to ensure travellers do not leave for 10 days after their arrival.

The mighty Chinese juggernaut has been humbled this week, apparently by a species-hopping bat virus. While Chinese authorities struggle to control the epidemic and restart their economy, a world that has grown accustomed to contemplating China's inexorable rise was reminded that nothing, not even Beijing's power, can be taken for granted.