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Singapore is probably doing as best as any country could hope to. https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/03/12/814522489/singapore-wins-praise-for-its-

by js2 7y ago

Singapore is probably doing as best as any country could hope to. https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/03/12/814522489/singapore-wins-praise-for-its-covid-19-strategy-the-u-s-does-not https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/03/12/8145224... Also, as an American, I'm embarrassed by my country's response and by how my president addresses the nation. PM Lee shows how you talk to your country: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mYs1Uyx3c8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mYs1Uyx3c8 His original address five weeks prior: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dExr76Wckr8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dExr76Wckr8

blululu 7y ago
I would be proud to vote for someone like this.
- mx24 7y ago
  Let’s not get carried away in our praise of Singapore’s leaders. Singapore is an authoritarian state and Lee is a part of the ruling family.
  - quaquaqua1 7y ago
    For all those interested in how Singapore can possibly be a duality of "sometimes good sometimes bad", just look at how Singapore treats its Malay population as second class citizens. For example, if a Singaporean Malay marries a Malaysian Malay, there is still a large chance their Permanent Residency application will be denied. This usually doesn't happen to someone who marries Han Chinese, of which Singapore is 70%.
AlchemistCamp 7y ago
Singapore has been competent, but Taiwan's response has been more impressive. It's very close to the hot zone, millions of people travel to and from mainland China every year, it has roughly the population of Australia living on 10% of the land Japan has, the WHO refuses any cooperation, and yet there have been under 50 cases and no local transmission. Not only that, but as a democratic state, Taiwan's control measures have been remarkably measured. I'd credit two factors: 1) Imposing travel limits three weeks before China even admitted there was an outbreak. After SARS, the TW government had a plan for this epidemic and a healthy skepticism for both official news and the WHO. 2) Taiwan has a relatively high trust society. People generally trust the local CDC and make a genuine effort to take preventative measures, even those primarily for the safety of others. A phone alert is generally all that's needed as a quarantine reminder for those exposed.
- dmix 7y ago
  > TW government had a plan for this epidemic and a healthy skepticism for both official news and the WHO. Which is notable that the US CDC seems to be following WHO closer than anyone, at least early on...
- woutr_be 7y ago
  > After SARS, the TW government had a plan for this epidemic and a healthy skepticism for both official news and the WHO. That's not surprising, since the WHO doesn't recognise Taiwan as an independent country and refuses to help them, I'm glad they were able to take their own successful measurements.
- billfruit 7y ago
  China reported Covid19 to WHO on 31 Dec 2019, do you say that travel curbs were put in Taiwan in early December?
  - kijin 7y ago
    I think the parent is referring to when China officially, publicly admitted the problem, which was three weeks after it notified the WHO. Taiwan implemented more stringent inspection requirements for people arriving from the Wuhan area as soon as China notified WHO, on 31 Dec 2019.
  - robocat 7y ago
    Taiwan started acting on 31st Dec. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2762689 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2762689 Taiwan has had a spectacular response to the virus - that is the gold standard that Italy (or Korea) should be compared against.
    - toyg 7y ago
      They were hit badly by SARS and learnt a lot of valuable lessons. This is our European SARS moment, hopefully.
- jotm 7y ago
stevenwoo 7y ago
JAMA article about Taiwan - they made changes after SARS to have a faster response and what they did worked to contain the spread even though there is a large flow of people to/from China. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2762689 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2762689
powerapple 7y ago
Being a small country definitely helps in situation like this, it is not likely US as a big country can be as effective as Singapore. What do you want the government to do? lock down cities with troops?

by js2 7y ago

blululu 7y ago

I would be proud to vote for someone like this.

mx24 7y ago
Let’s not get carried away in our praise of Singapore’s leaders. Singapore is an authoritarian state and Lee is a part of the ruling family.
- quaquaqua1 7y ago
  For all those interested in how Singapore can possibly be a duality of "sometimes good sometimes bad", just look at how Singapore treats its Malay population as second class citizens. For example, if a Singaporean Malay marries a Malaysian Malay, there is still a large chance their Permanent Residency application will be denied. This usually doesn't happen to someone who marries Han Chinese, of which Singapore is 70%.

AlchemistCamp 7y ago

Singapore has been competent, but Taiwan's response has been more impressive. It's very close to the hot zone, millions of people travel to and from mainland China every year, it has roughly the population of Australia living on 10% of the land Japan has, the WHO refuses any cooperation, and yet there have been under 50 cases and no local transmission. Not only that, but as a democratic state, Taiwan's control measures have been remarkably measured. I'd credit two factors: 1) Imposing travel limits three weeks before China even admitted there was an outbreak. After SARS, the TW government had a plan for this epidemic and a healthy skepticism for both official news and the WHO. 2) Taiwan has a relatively high trust society. People generally trust the local CDC and make a genuine effort to take preventative measures, even those primarily for the safety of others. A phone alert is generally all that's needed as a quarantine reminder for those exposed.

dmix 7y ago
> TW government had a plan for this epidemic and a healthy skepticism for both official news and the WHO. Which is notable that the US CDC seems to be following WHO closer than anyone, at least early on...
woutr_be 7y ago
> After SARS, the TW government had a plan for this epidemic and a healthy skepticism for both official news and the WHO. That's not surprising, since the WHO doesn't recognise Taiwan as an independent country and refuses to help them, I'm glad they were able to take their own successful measurements.
billfruit 7y ago
China reported Covid19 to WHO on 31 Dec 2019, do you say that travel curbs were put in Taiwan in early December?
- kijin 7y ago
  I think the parent is referring to when China officially, publicly admitted the problem, which was three weeks after it notified the WHO. Taiwan implemented more stringent inspection requirements for people arriving from the Wuhan area as soon as China notified WHO, on 31 Dec 2019.
- robocat 7y ago
  Taiwan started acting on 31st Dec. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2762689 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2762689 Taiwan has had a spectacular response to the virus - that is the gold standard that Italy (or Korea) should be compared against.
  - toyg 7y ago
    They were hit badly by SARS and learnt a lot of valuable lessons. This is our European SARS moment, hopefully.
jotm 7y ago

stevenwoo 7y ago

JAMA article about Taiwan - they made changes after SARS to have a faster response and what they did worked to contain the spread even though there is a large flow of people to/from China. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2762689 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2762689

powerapple 7y ago

Being a small country definitely helps in situation like this, it is not likely US as a big country can be as effective as Singapore. What do you want the government to do? lock down cities with troops?