On January 1, 2020, the Wuhan Institute of Virology was ordered to destroy its coronavirus samples, after which the People's Liberation Army took over the laboratory
On January 1, 2020, China's central health authority issued a gag order to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, ordering it to destroy all collected coronavirus samples; a few days later, the People's Liberation Army of China took over the laboratory. The institute subsequently published an open letter in response to questions about genetic engineering, a lab leak, and military involvement, but provided no detailed evidence.