DISINFO: Dictatorships are better at curbing Coronavirus
SUMMARY
The world is learning from the so-called Chinese dictatorship in curbing this epidemic (Coronavirus), and all countries of the world are saying “Learn from China”.
Dictatorship and communism have proven their worth in curbing this danger to humanity.
RESPONSE
The claim about the superiority of political authoritarianism and isolationist “closed societies” in preventing and controlling epidemics does not reflect reality.
Authoritarian regimes, which tend to control and manipulate information and to limit the freedom of doctors and scientists to engage in international cooperation, are often an obstacle to the timely detection and containment of epidemic outbreaks.
A clear example is China’s deliberate cover-up of the early days of the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan. The regime suppressed information about the virus and allowed it to spread unchecked in the crucial early days and weeks. The Chinese authorities censored and detained those doctors and whistleblowers who attempted to sound the alarm and warn their fellow citizens when they understood the gravity of the coronavirus threat.
Furthermore, the real antidote to the coronavirus pandemic (and to future epidemic outbreaks) is not to revert to nationalist isolationism and “closed societies” but to develop a global response.
A coordinated, cross-border effort of the scientific and medical community to understand the virus, create cures and treatments, and speedily disseminate a vaccine across national borders, will end the pandemic.
Read a previous case claiming that democracy and freedom prevent Europe from fighting the virus effectively.