Didn’t India do this specifically for cities whose names have their origins in British colonialism?
That’s a very different context than a virus originating from a particular area.
That’s a very different context than a virus originating from a particular area.
Also, in India the colonial reference was the official excuse. In my view, it was purely a show of political power.
Failing that, local culture would refer to those cities by those reticent names somewhere. Local newspapers, pamphlets, propaganda material. No evidence of that.
0: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaming_of_cities_in_India