Not where but.......

[MadAmster]

........when did this virus thing start?

I'm having a guess at 2019 for no other reason than the name which quite likely gives it away.

Month? No idea. A pneumonia of unknown cause detected in Wuhan, China was first reported to the WHO Country Office in China on 31 December 2019. Was that the day of the report or was the case from some time earlier?

[Geoff Parkstone]

A friend of mine lives in Wuhan and left there to go on football tour of Japan in November 2019. At that point he was not aware of anything around. But given the fact that its the Chinese government, Id guess that it was first evident in about 1937. Chinese Leader Bo Rizjon Sun almost certainly lied about the precise timing.

[Trickytreesreds]

........when did this virus thing start?

I'm having a guess at 2019 for no other reason than the name which quite likely gives it away.

Month? No idea. A pneumonia of unknown cause detected in Wuhan, China was first reported to the WHO Country Office in China on 31 December 2019. Was that the day of the report or was the case from some time earlier?

Here's an interesting angle on the lying or not lying.
When I was in Thailand, I learned about "saving face". When they don't know an answer to something, or get caught out. Rather than just admit it, they will lie or exaggererate to appear they knew the answer.
In no way is this considered lying and is an accepted part of the culture.

Now after that, I looked into it and found it is a quite common Eastern practice. What we would call a bare faced lie, is actually the norm over there.
https://thelinguafranca.wordpress.co...-that-depends/

So to answer your question, you can't.
The first case may have been years ago, but no one would ever admit it.

[ramAnag]

It’s been said to have come from bats, I believe, MA...however there is an Institute of Virology in Wuhan. Coincidence?

The idea that terrorists are now aware of exactly how devastatingly effective ‘germ/virus warfare’ can be in paralysing the developed world scares the wotsit out of me.

Tricky...I knew Johnson was born in America and of Turkish-Muslim ancestry. Only now do I suspect him to have some Chinese genes.

[Geoff Parkstone]

A bye-product of a bat and then a pangolin I had heard, but that may have been another lie from Chairman Bo Rizjon Sun

[ramAnag]

That’s sweet and sour pangolin off the menu then.

[Andy_Faber]

Here's an interesting angle on the lying or not lying.
When I was in Thailand, I learned about "saving face". When they don't know an answer to something, or get caught out. Rather than just admit it, they will lie or exaggererate to appear they knew the answer.
In no way is this considered lying and is an accepted part of the culture.

Now after that, I looked into it and found it is a quite common Eastern practice. What we would call a bare faced lie, is actually the norm over there.
https://thelinguafranca.wordpress.co...-that-depends/

So to answer your question, you can't.
The first case may have been years ago, but no one would ever admit it.

I’ll vouch for the loss of face thing, my repeated refusal to tow my bosses line in situations where he blatantly lied (which was often) Ultimately cost me my last job. It’s deep in their culture, as is the command and control mentality which would lead someone in a junior position to keep quiet about any suspicion about a new virus, maybe until it was too late.

[ramAnag]

Not necessarily a cultural thing though, Andy. My boss of some time ago was exactly the same. Looked like costing me quite a lot, but the truth will out (sometimes) as they say, and it was he who lost his job.
He was Derbyshire born and bred, but as accomplished a liar and cheat as you’ll find...still have occasional nightmares about it.

[Trickytreesreds]

It’s been said to have come from bats, I believe, MA...however there is an Institute of Virology in Wuhan. Coincidence?

The idea that terrorists are now aware of exactly how devastatingly effective ‘germ/virus warfare’ can be in paralysing the developed world scares the wotsit out of me.

Tricky...I knew Johnson was born in America and of Turkish-Muslim ancestry. Only now do I suspect him to have some Chinese genes.

Fair do's lol

[Trickytreesreds]

Not necessarily a cultural thing though, Andy. My boss of some time ago was exactly the same. Looked like costing me quite a lot, but the truth will out (sometimes) as they say, and it was he who lost his job.
He was Derbyshire born and bred, but as accomplished a liar and cheat as you’ll find...still have occasional nightmares about it.

I don't dispute what you say there RA. But I think you missed the point. It is a cultural thing, they ALL do it.
To lose face is very dishonourable thing and regarded as a great shame.

Now tell me someone from our back grounds, works with that?
You'd end up breaking someones nose over here.