Rising to the Challenge of COVID-1

As the COVID-19 virus has spread across the world over the last six months, it has put massive amounts of stress on both national and international institutions that before had seemed virtually unassailable. As such, people worldwide have turned to their local, national, and international governments for protection and support during these difficult times. Governments everywhere have risen to this call for action and aid to varying degrees; the great efforts being put forward around the world to stem the tide have involved shelter-in-place orders, eviction holds, rent and mortgage freezes, massive bailouts, and the shutdown of entire regions and countries. Each and every one of these efforts have been in pursuit of trying to save lives and protect people from this virus and its fallout. From Korea to Canada, governments the world over have been trying to protect the lives and health of their citizens.

One government that has had great success in protecting its people, according to Deutsche Wëlle news, has been the government of Vietnam. Since the beginning of the outbreak in January, Vietnam has only had 134 reported cases of the Coronavirus, and this is due to aggressively proactive policies that the Vietnamese government implemented early and has consistently stuck to throughout the crisis. Since the end of January, Vietnam has been staying a couple of steps ahead of the virus by shutting down schools, restricting travel, enacting strict quarantines, providing clear information to the people, and closely observing the transference of the disease. For a time, Vietnam was even free of the disease, until a traveler returning from Europe reintroduced it. The actions of the Vietnamese government, though undoubtedly harsh, have also saved thousands or even millions of lives in the country. The Vietnamese government has even managed to keep the economy somewhat functional through consumer-oriented bailouts, food deliveries, and by augmenting lost tax revenue through donations. The government of Vietnam has, unequivocally, fulfilled their obligation to the people of Vietnam, and has ensured their safety and health during this crisis through decisive early action.

Unfortunately, many other governments have not had anywhere near as much success in controlling the spread of the virus or in prioritizing the health of their citizens. In February, while some of the first cases of Coronavirus were being reported in the United States, four US lawmakers were selling off stocks and have come under suspicion of insider trading. Senator Richard Burr, Kelly Loeffler, Jim Inhofe, and Diane Feinstein all sold stocks in late January and early February; all have come under public scrutiny and criticism due to the appearance of insider trading. According to CNN, both the SEC and FBI have begun investigating the trades and contacting the senators as necessary. These suspicious trades have done little to improve public confidence in the government, which has been even further shaken by the contradictory statements of the Trump administration when it comes to the virus. Where countries such as Vietnam or Korea have run effective, focused, and effective information campaigns about the spread and effects of the virus, the Trump administration has consistently been behind the curve.

Instead of being consistent and focused, the messaging from the Trump administration, particularly President Trump, has been inconsistent and inaccurate. Based off of extensive records kept by the New York Times, all of the president’s public statements about the virus in January and February served to downplay the seriousness of the virus and assure the public that everything would soon be under control. However, according to William Hanage, a Harvard epidemiologist, “We just twiddled our thumbs as the coronavirus waltzed in.” As of writing, the United States has the most COVID-19 cases in the world, and the rate of infection is still not slowing down.

In their article about the US government’s Coronavirus response, Maggie Haberman and Noah Weiland pointed several key failings of the Trump administration in their response to the current crisis; they allege that it was not clearly or quickly communicated and that it was not focused on the wellbeing of average citizens, but on the health of the stock market. Haberman and Weiland point to the contradictory or inaccurate information disseminated by President Trump and his administration, as well as an unwillingness to hamper economic growth by closing businesses or restricting movement on a national level as evidence of these failings. Some conservative lawmakers, however, have argued that the administration’s response was slow due to the impeachment trial which ended in early January, weeks before the first cases were detected in the US. Haberman and Weiland point to similar actions by governments in Italy, Spain, China and elsewhere as further evidence of what harm can be done by following the pattern of the current administration. The role of any government in a time of crisis is to protect its citizens. I am hopeful that the US government will not be counted among those who failed to do so.

Joseph Doner - Political Editor