the press has been doing that along depending on the spin of the story .... even counting from one paragraph to another
I'm remembering a point early in the Clinton administration where they claimed some sudden drop in the unemployment numbers, as a noteworthy achievement - until it came out that all they did was redefine unemployment.
This isn't far from what the Chinese did - they claim no new cases - because they stopped testing for them. They have a motive for having LOW numbers - it improved their optics in front of the world.
In this country, with draconian measures in place, making it look WORSE than it is can be a motive for government authorities - it allows them to continue to exert control, but unfortunately, if it lasts too long, it will bite them in the ass, and I'm saying that by virtue of, you lose state income if your people are not working, especially in key industries. For example, if your state revenue derives largely from tourism and entertainment, it would be a REALLY good idea to undercount - but if it gets most of its money from industries not typically exposed to disease, you don't have as much incentive to do anything but overcount.
How can it be anything but sheer greed that declares paint and potted plants as non-essential - but liquor and lottery tickets as essential, when it's clear enough it's because the second two generate state income?