In Wuhan, the army was called in. Roads out of the city were not only blocked off but actually torn up in some places. People were strictly limited to their ho

In Wuhan, the army was called in. Roads out of the city were not only blocked off but actually torn up in some places. People were strictly limited to their housing blocks and had to await food deliveries. The Chinese state was able to rely on the fact that each apartment block already had its appointed minor Communist Party official who could ensure discipline. The population already had a single government-controlled app for communications, and this could easily be upgraded to show the three-colour health code before citizens were allowed to move anywhere in public. A lockdown so strict simply would not work in most Western countries. The legislation is simply not there for that, even with the emergency powers that some authorities have, and enacting such legislation would require time and debate. Also, China was deeply concerned with protecting its elderly people due to such ingrained cultural respect for the elderly, but in other countries citizens may well feel that, if the army has to be called in, better that the army help with triaging and disposing of the mainly elderly victims than enforcing a crackdown on the population at large.