Maybe, but it's important to never underestimate the value regimes like China put on image. Parallels can be drawn to how the USSR downplayed the Chernobyl incident and how many more lives were affected by their nationalistic pride.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:NCoV20200209_Hubei_Chin...

/s

Unfortunately it isn't. They are trying to put people back to work and reopen trade because of the damage it is doing to their economy, and massaging the numbers is one crucial element of making that happen.

They are not in a vacuum. Business and travel will resume only if the situation is demonstrably resolved, or close to.

They cannot afford to fake it and re-open factories and lift quarantines just for mass contamination to occur, which would be very public and screw them internationally for good.

Edit: Everyone, from all impacted countries say that they are still open for business because they don't want everything to stop and people to be spooked. The country is not all under quarantine. That has nothing to do with faking numbers.

Maybe instead of declaring something "FUD", which to me sounds like you're saying I'm here in bad faith, consider that I meant what I said.