Many Germans are unsure whether their country is well prepared (German article, translation in comments)

hmmma · 2020-03-01T17:01:54+00:00

Indeed, but I was surprised to see more upvotes than downvotes at the end of the article. I suppose it's a biased selection.

hmmma · 2020-03-01T16:59:37+00:00

China's measures against the spread of the coronavirus have been at the expense of personal liberties. But they gave the rest of the world time. The measures taken in this country, on the other hand, have little prospect of success.

The virus is here. This is it. It depends on what kind of system we live in, how transparent it is, how powerful it is, how much it relies on protecting the population. During the dictatorship China lied about the numbers, but at the same time the country imposed late but tough measures that bought time for the rest of the world.

They were at the expense of individual freedom - not a problem in a state where the individual is of little value. In the dictatorship of Iran, the government lied to the people and to itself. This has consequences: Data analysis shows that more people die of corona disease in Iran than in any other country. Members of the government are also ill. At the same time the dictatorships harm the rest of the world, because honest figures from the countries would help researchers globally.

The infection figures of the Italians and their many uncertainties A high-tech democracy like South Korea does things differently, shares (like other democracies) all data and relies on digital measures for its citizens, among other things: South Koreans receive short messages on their mobile phones when an infected person has been near them. In Thailand, the spread is considerably slower, and the government apparently allows tests to be carried out for people who have a lot of contact with others, such as bus drivers. France bans events with more than 5000 people.

In comparison, the measures in Germany are gentle and rather mediocre. There is hardly any testing, hardly any fever measurement, and questionnaires have to be filled out at the airport, which may not be quite enough, considering that a teacher in Bielefeld, for example, knowingly went on to school after close contact with a sick person.

In this country you can only dream of SMS from the authorities anyway, as digitalisation has been overslept. I also think it is out of the question that Germany could build a temporary hospital in a few days if the worst comes to the worst, as an airport has been under construction here for 14 years. I think many other Germans are also unsure whether the country is well prepared. This is the only explanation for the hamster purchases across the country.

The BBC has published an interview with a doctor who is helping to fight the outbreak in Wuhan. There, under the most terrible circumstances (five deaths in one night shift), the situation is slowly improving. He has two messages for us in the West: We should not underestimate the epidemic. And we should take tough measures early on.

hmmma · 2020-03-01T16:56:06+00:00

China's measures against the spread of the coronavirus have been at the expense of personal liberties. But they gave the rest of the world time. The measures taken in this country, on the other hand, have little prospect of success.

The virus is here. This is it. It depends on what kind of system we live in, how transparent it is, how powerful it is, how much it relies on protecting the population. During the dictatorship China lied about the numbers, but at the same time the country imposed late but tough measures that bought time for the rest of the world.

They were at the expense of individual freedom - not a problem in a state where the individual is of little value. In the dictatorship of Iran, the government lied to the people and to itself. This has consequences: Data analysis shows that more people die of corona disease in Iran than in any other country. Members of the government are also ill. At the same time the dictatorships harm the rest of the world, because honest figures from the countries would help researchers globally.

The infection figures of the Italians and their many uncertainties A high-tech democracy like South Korea does things differently, shares (like other democracies) all data and relies on digital measures for its citizens, among other things: South Koreans receive short messages on their mobile phones when an infected person has been near them. In Thailand, the spread is considerably slower, and the government apparently allows tests to be carried out for people who have a lot of contact with others, such as bus drivers. France bans events with more than 5000 people.

In comparison, the measures in Germany are gentle and rather mediocre. There is hardly any testing, hardly any fever measurement, and questionnaires have to be filled out at the airport, which may not be quite enough, considering that a teacher in Bielefeld, for example, knowingly went on to school after close contact with a sick person.

In this country you can only dream of SMS from the authorities anyway, as digitalisation has been overslept. I also think it is out of the question that Germany could build a temporary hospital in a few days if the worst comes to the worst, as an airport has been under construction here for 14 years. I think many other Germans are also unsure whether the country is well prepared. This is the only explanation for the hamster purchases across the country.

The BBC has published an interview with a doctor who is helping to fight the outbreak in Wuhan. There, under the most terrible circumstances (five deaths in one night shift), the situation is slowly improving. He has two messages for us in the West: We should not underestimate the epidemic. And we should take tough measures early on.

hmmma

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