The Best Country To Handle The Coronavirus Situation Wisely
Best Country To Handle The Coronavirus Situation
The spread of the novel
coronavirus has been very consistent in all the countries. You might already
know, the percentage of positive cases and the death toll is different in all
the countries. It depends on the strict measures that the countries have managed
to take.
Our fight with the Covid-19
seems to be not ending anytime soon. Panic and fear have become the two
permanent residents of our hearts. Social distancing has become the way of our
life. Yes, it has been tough to adjust to the newness of it all. But, it
is-what-it is, we cannot shy away from our responsibilities as dutiful
inhabitants of this planet earth.
Believe it or not fear has never
been a more catalytic force as it is today. It is the fear of the COVID19 that
has made countries proactive. They have been making moves in a matter of days,
which earlier would have taken months. This prompt action has somewhat helped
in the containment of the spread of the virus.
Countries have been adopting
measures like social distancing, lockdown, and rapid testing to combat the
deadly coronavirus. However, implementing the aforementioned measures demands a
lot of scrutiny and discussion. Imagine the economic repercussions of
implementing a complete lockdown in developing Asian nations like Bangladesh, Nepal,
Myanmar, and Bhutan.
On March 26, the government of
Bangladesh announced a two-week lockdown, which later had been extended to
April 25. The plight of daily wage workers screams for immediate financial
assistance. In such countries, chances are high that people might die of
starvation, which would be no less than criminal.
The fact of the matter is that
not all countries have the financial muscle to pull off a complete lockdown.
Also, the health systems are being tested hard, the weaker ones are going to
crumble sooner or later. This is one of the crucial reasons besides logistics,
which is hampering rapid testing strategy. The Director-General of WHO has been
quite vocal about rapid testing across the length and breadth of the country.
We have no reason to argue the
Testing approach. It seems to be the way going forward. There are a few
countries that have cracked the formula for finding the right balance between
social distancing, lockdown, and rapid testing. The results in such countries
also narrate the tale of deployment of the effective containment measure.
The first Asian country which
has done marvelously well in containing the spread of coronavirus is Taiwan. It
always helps to have the right person at the upper echelon of the government.
What better than to have an epidemiologist as the vice-president. It was Taiwan
that had started screening people at the airport, and ramping up rapid testing
after their Chinese counterpart warned them of a particular type of pneumonia
at the end of 2019 at a time where the world had no name for the disease.
You might be surprised to know
that there was 10 days gap between the first case being reported in Italy, and
Taiwan. As of 14th April 2020, reported cases in Taiwan stand at 393, while on
the other end of the spectrum Italy has 1,59,516 cases. This is where acting
early is so important. Do we need any more evidence to prove the success of
Taiwan in tackling Covid19? A question with answers in front of us loud and
clear.
The next country which has done
commendably well in tackling the COVID 19 is South Korea. Yes, they have more
than 10,000 cases now (as of 14th April-10,564), but they have succeeded in
delaying the onset of the peak.
Some of the reports suggest that
South Korea has been partially successful in taming the emergence of new cases.
On 29th February, it registered 909 news cases, while the first case was
reported on 20th January. Also, during the initial 15 to 20 days of March, the
emergence of newer cases was declining. It seems that the proactive measures of
restricting religious mass gathering and isolation as early as the end of
January were showing results. However, the fear of the second wave can’t be
ruled out, so rapid testing is still on the go.
The Aussies have also done
impeccably well to fight the pandemic. On 19th March, it closed off the country
for non-citizens. This did result in people going berserk and moving to
airports to catch the next flight home before the air travel is put to halt.
After nearly a month of lockdown and all other restrictions, one can see the
reasons for such measures in the form of results. Australia as of now has 6,394
cases, which could easily have been more.
Yes, you can argue that the
geographical nature of Australia makes it unique. However, the efforts put in
by the government to enhance the medical facilities, and providing economic
relief can’t be ignored. The parliament has passed the legislation for
sanctioning $134bn for wage subsidies along with an $84bn economic stimulus
package.
The southern hemisphere neighbor
Newzealand has been doing some great work in tackling Covid19 under the radar.
It also helps to have a good decision-maker at the helm of affairs in such
times of crisis. Jacinda Ardern, the New Zealand prime minister, spoke to nations
with a perfect mix of emotion and facts. Something rare in leaders of other
countries.
She urged people to 'stay home
and save lives' on the emotional side of it. But she also painted a true but
fearful picture of more than 80,000 being affected, if strict measures are not
followed. The clarity in messaging helped a great deal for people in understanding
the gravity of the situation. It also leads to people being more self-aware and
responsible. As of 14th April 2020, the total number of cases in NZ stands at
1,366.
This fight is going to be a long
and tough one, and countries need to stick together. The inequitable
availability of resources among developed and developing nations needs to be
countered.
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