Forget china. Look at south korea, japan, singapore. Good government can mitigate the outbreak.
It's not wizardry. Their government instruct, citizen follow, results shows.
Nobody has the magic formula, it's just a collection of small things done right.
No, don`t forget China. It`s the most secretive and dictatorial government in the world and more so than North Korea because its economic power allows it be part of the international business community. No mass graves? They don`t need them - they have cremation as is common in many countries in Asia. They need more urns and more urns have been noted. The great firewall of China is their friend - the internet in some ways is completely unrecognisable in China from our perspective.
Another secretive country that is generally a democracy although it has some surprisingly authoritarian aspects when you know its legal system and live here is Japan.
Forget Japan among the exemplars - if you believe Japan deserves to be listed with the other countries re COVID-19 for good government that includes transparency of policy and information, a health system whose experts are given media freedom to speak openly. politicians being truthful and not concealing data and genuine means to get this pandemic under control such as increasing testing and then isolation of the
infected, then you are very much mistaken.
I`m in Tokyo and I expect there to be many more cases here and everywhere except the most isolated parts of the archipelago that is Japan. Apparently `now` the numbers for all Japan are over 4,000 with under 100 deaths. And guess what? They`re increasing in a linear way according to the national govt`s data fudgers, er statisticians. So Japan doesn`t have exponential increases. Apparently.
The answer to all this nonsense about putting Japan with responsible countries is simple - criminally low testing numbers. The policy is to refuse testing except if you have pneumonia. There are exceptions now such as Japanese nationals returning from abroad. There are a few exceptions in some prefectures.
The Tokyo Olympics were the biggest stand-alone reason this shit-show has been allowed to develop but of course medical cartels, media cartels, a disgraceful right wing government and a shambles of opposition parties, lack of an active participation in political discussion and debate among the Japanese public, in some cases a sense of superiority that Japanese somehow wouldn`t have any real problem with the virus because they are `cleaner`, etc, have actively repressed responsible measures.
Surprise, surprise - increasing clusters have formed around so-called entertainment areas commonly located throughout urban Japan near major railway stations. The sex industry there often functions as quickie sex breaks for male company employees during the day and then after work. . Now we hear the virus is increasingly showing up in a younger demographic - unsurprising considering the complacency that set in during the latter part of February.
Of course it is also connected to international travel with Japanese just like other countries` people refusing to change or cancel their plans. Less understandable to me is why a significant number of them decided to get their jollies in Italy, Spain and France despite having earlier information on COVID-19`s rampant spread there.
Grossly deflated case numbers because of minimal testing caused many in Tokyo especially to lower their guard unlike in January and most of February although some attractions and bars, cafes and clubs stayed shuttered.
In the middle of March I was astonished to see university students over-crowding popular areas and then at night time when coming home from work, young and not so young company employees, many drunk, laughing and spraying their saliva around on crowded Yamanote Loop Line stations. This is the main Tokyo line that runs around the city. That scene is not unusual in normal times but it shouldn`t have gone on the way it did in these times.
Elderly people were riding subways and trains for something to do during the daytime because a number of community centres for the elderly had closed amidst earlier virus fears. As March progressed those with more money started taking weekday and weekend trips on the lines leading from Tokyo to the surrounding prefectures. The Tokyo Olympics hadn`t been cancelled yet.
People staying home last weekend and this present weekend in response to the Tokyo Governor`s call - credit to many Tokyoites for doing that - cannot reverse the damage done not only from the carelessness and complacency that set in but the basic reason for it. And that is the Japan`s Government`s refusal to conduct any real testing which would enable them to isolate quickly and track cases and potential cases. And of course now as the more realistic figures although highly likely under-reported are coming out in the unique Japanese linear way instead of exponential way, another `surprise` is the inability to track a significant number of cases and potential cases.
Japan is not an outlier - it`s an out and out liar.
