Southampton found that had China taken action 3 weeks earlier, the spread of COVID-19 could have been reduced by 95 percent. (9) On July 21, 2020, Representative Adam Smith defended the Chinese Government’s hiding the true nature of COVID-19 when he said, It’s not actually their job to warn the American people . (10) According to the World Health Organization’s for the Use of Annex 2 of the International Health Regulations, China was legally obligated to notify the World Health Organization about the COVID-19 outbreak. 3. Authorization of imposition of sanctions (a) In general The President may impose the sanctions described in subsection (b) with respect to any foreign person the President determines, based on credible evidence— (1) is a government official, or a senior associate of such an official, that is responsible for, or complicit in, ordering, controlling, or otherwise directing, or financially benefits from, acts intended to deliberately conceal or distort information, including through forced detentions or disappearances of persons, about a public health emergency of international concern, including COVID-19