How Different Countries are Responding to Covid-19

• United Kingdom

  

  
  

  Leadership: The leadership in the UK has been haphazard since the Covid-19 outbreak, with the public unsure of who is really in charge. Is it Boris Johnson and Downing St, the NHS, the chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty, or other groups? This lack of leadership coordination is assumed to have contributed to the UK's delayed response to the pandemic.

  Healthcare: The United Kingdom offers free universal healthcare to all British residents through the National Health Service. Hospitals have been set up as Covid-19 treatment points with special isolation facilities set up. Covid-19 testing is not available for most of the public except for doctors, nurses, and their families. Citizens who suspect they have Covid-19 are urged to stay at home.

  Schools and businesses: On March 20, Boris Johnson declared all non-essential businesses, including schools, must shut. The government is suggesting a phased re-opening of schools and businesses sometime in May, but as the UK responded to the outbreak much later than other countries did, the lifting of these closures will be delayed.

  Social Events: Social distancing measures were implemented on March 20 and are expected to continue until mid-May, however it is suggested that gatherings of large groups of people will be prohibited until a Covid-19 vaccine is widely available.

  Unemployed/vulnerable support: British citizens who lost their jobs due to Covid-19 are able to apply to the Employment Support Allowance. Citizens who test positive for Covid-19 can apply for Statutory Sick Pay.

  
  

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• USA

  

  Leadership: Donald Trump's response to the Covid-19 outbreak has been divisive and many feel that his actions have not reflected that of a responsible leader. His reactions to the outbreak have included banning travel to and from many countries, ceasing funding to the WHO, and spreading misinformation about the virus.

  Healthcare: Citizens in the US do not receive free healthcare, and a large proportion of the population does not have access to the funds private health insurance requires. Large numbers of people have chosen not to get tested for Covid-19 because the hospital fees could cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. Testing for the virus was delayed and still remains largely inaccessible for most of the public. The US also has fewer hospital beds and doctors per capita than most developed countries.

  Schools and businesses: On March 16, weeks after the CDC recommended that schools and businesses shut down, however state governments have had to take the initiative to enforce school and non-essential business closures. With no country-wide guidelines, schools and businesses across the country have closed sporadically. It is unclear when schools and non-essential businesses will reopen.

  Social Events: The White House declared 15 Days to Slow the Spread, an initiative to encourage social isolation, which was extended after it finished. It is assumed that social distancing will remain in place until a vaccine for Covid-19 is available to all citizens in the US.

  Unemployed/vulnerable support: US citizens who have lost their jobs due to Covid-19 are eligible for unemployment benefits, which is around $385 per week. People who were previously unable to apply for unemployment benefits are now eligible for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance. The government has also proposed an $8.3 billion stimulus package that aims to inject much-needed into the economy, and equals about $1,000 per person. The release date is yet to be announced.

  
  

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• Canada

  

  The Canadian government's response to coronavirus is widely perceived as having been prompt and vigilant. The country reported its first case of coronavirus on January 25, however measures were taken well before this case was reported to mitigate the spread of the virus. 

  On January 15, the federal government activated its Emergency Operations Center, and within a few days the Canada Border Services Agency had put signs up in main cities to raise awareness of the virus, and an extra health screening question was added for travellers coming from China. On January 22, the Canadian government issued a travel ban for non-essential travel to China, and by the 25th, Canada's first case of coronavirus had been reported.

  In late January, federal health officials stated that the risk of catching coronavirus in Canada was low. By early February, a plane flown by the Canadian Armed Forces evacuated the Canadian citizens still in Wuhan and brought them to CFB Trenton for repatriation and medical screening. On February 21, an additional 131 Canadians were brought to CFB Trenton after being quarantined on the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan. At this stage, there were 9 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Canada.

  On March 6, the government announced it would provide $27 million to fund research groups searching for a means to manage the outbreak. On March 11, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a $1 billion response fund, of which $500 million would go to territories and provinces, $50 million to the WHO and $275 million towards coronavirus research in Canada. The next day, Trudeau's wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau tested positive for coronavirus, and she and the Prime Minister went into self-isolation. It was announced on March 16 that only Canadian citizens and permanent residents would be allowed into the country. At this stage, there were 441 cases of coronavirus in Canada.  

  
  

  A number of factors contributed to Canada's protection from the virus (in comparison to other countries, specifically the US), including: urging workers to work from home if possible, widely available coronavirus testing, increased production of ventilators, masks and medical equipment, travel restrictions and early country-wide efforts of social distancing. Although Canada is currently experiencing the 'acceleration' period of coronavirus, the number of cases are far less than they would have been without the measures that were put in place.

  
  

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• China

  

  China's lockdown was the most extreme our world has seen so far, but it is uncertain whether this had the effect of curbing the virus' spread. From January 23, public transport and private vehicles were banned from operating. Schools, businesses and factories were closed, and people could only leave their houses to buy groceries. In some buildings, security guards stopped people from entering or exiting the building. In Wuhan, groups of enforcers were sent to each apartment to check the compliance and temperature of citizens - those with a fever were sent to quarantine centers. Furthermore, the Chinese government made use of its mass surveillance system to track the movements of the infected, and to restrict people's movements.

  
  

  According to some experts, China's lockdown, though it was brutal on the freedom and livelihoods of the people affected, was successful in mitigating the spread of Covid-19. However, Human Rights Watch reported a different case, where residents were denied their human rights and were unable to access medical care and other necessities. The lockdown was particularly tough for people with disabilities and mental health issues. Other commentary says that the lockdown was too socially and economically extreme, and there should be a balance between protecting people's lives and their livelihoods.

  
  

  While other countries are also going into lockdown as their numbers of coronavirus infections skyrocket, the fact is that no country will be able to replicate the extremity of China's lockdown - although there are a lessons that can be learned from it. The likes of China's advanced surveillance technology and tightly controlled security is not seen anywhere else in the world - however, in the face of Covid-19, perhaps imitating China's extreme measures is the only way to make it to the other side. 

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• Italy

  

  Italy's response to the Covid-19 outbreak has been largely a lesson in what not to do during a pandemic, through a combination of bad luck and poor governing. Over a period of weeks in February, Italy went from having its first case of Covid-19 on February 20 to enforcing a country-wide quarantine on March 9 - just 18 days apart. Italian authorities had witnessed the situation escalate in China during January and saw how the quarantine - although extreme - helped to mitigate the spread of the virus. However, the Italian government didn't treat the virus as an emergency until late February - just before numbers of people with coronavirus jumped from hundreds to thousands. 

  Experts say the "systematic failure to absorb and act upon existing information rapidly and effectively" is what contributed to Italy's mishandling of the virus - in other words, they should have anticipated the crisis rather than waiting for it to hit before acting. The Italian government was slow to implement social distancing, and when it was officially enforced, the public was slow to adopt it.

  When coronavirus began to hit parts of the country hard, they were designated as 'red zones', which had different lockdown rules depending on the severity of the outbreak in the area. This may have had the opposite effect the government was hoping for by pushing asymptomatic Covid-19 positive people to areas of no reported infections, thus spreading the virus more. By the time the whole country was put in lockdown, the rates of positive coronavirus were over 9,000. 

  With a lack of comprehensive national governing policies, each state reacted differently, resulting in varying results. Ideally, the government would have seen which approaches were effective and adopted them nationally, but this wasn't the case. Instead, Italy became a hotspot for coronavirus and had the highest number of cases in the world (until the US surpassed it).  

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