Too Little, Too Late: The West Responds to COVID-19
by Alexander Peter
April 10, 2020
It’s 10pm on Saturday in DC. Ordinarily, the streets of Adam’s Morgan would be pulsing with an intoxicated energy as people stumble about like tipsy toddlers. But we are living in extraordinary times. Tonight, there is no one. Only the solitary wail of an ambulance siren as it speeds down the street disturbs the silence. The world has stopped.
Countries across the world have scrambled to stop the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Government initiatives have ranged from tracking the movement of people who have tested positive, to shutting down schools and universities.
However, government actions have come too late, as personal protective equipment (PPE) and ventilators run out and the total number of confirmed cases passes 1.5 million. The number of global deaths now nears 100,000. Only the individual can break the chain of transmission.
In Europe, EU health ministers met in early March and struggled to coordinate their response to the virus and effectively initiate the Early Warning Response System (EWS). Coordination largely failed and EU member states have now reclaimed their Westphalian sovereignty by shutting their borders to halt the spread of the COVID-19 (a policy allowed under the Schengen Agreement).
The United Kingdom chartered its own distinct course. Initially, Prime Minister Boris Johnson promoted a “herd immunity” strategy, which aimed to protect and isolate at-risk populations, while allowing the rest of the population to continue their lives as normal. However, as the numbers of dead rose, the government shifted to more draconian measures of social isolation and staying inside. Reports of Johnson proudly saying that he shook hands with hospital staff a month ago and his recent stay in the ICU are a sad reminder of the reality of violating such measures.
In the United States, despite watching the virus spread globally, the executive branch has done relatively little, ignoring warnings from the 2017 U.S. intelligence playbook for early responses to infectious diseases. Instead, the president has passed this novel virus off as nothing more than the seasonal flu, incited xenophobia by labelling it the “Chinese virus,” and undermined journalists, calling them nasty and terrible.
On the state level, however, governors and mayors have worked quickly to promote social isolation and shelter-in-place rules. Finally, Congress agreed upon an emergency coronavirus relief package to support companies and individuals hit by the virus.
So, what can we learn from the various responses?
First, planning and precautionary measures are key. We have seen on both sides of the Atlantic how a lack of preparedness allowed the virus to spread far more quickly than it should have, as governments failed to respond appropriately. Governments should work together to create a global stockpile of necessary equipment (surgical masks, PPE etc.) to be administered in future pandemics. Furthermore, governments should begin to draft a global response framework, drawing upon the EU’s EWS and the U.S. Playbook.
Second, the United States needs to consider shutting down state borders and domestic flights, similar to the EU member states closing their borders. This will prevent the spread of the virus from more-infected states, to less-infected parts of the country.
Third, the role of the individual is key to stopping this virus. It is true that governments are to blame for their inaction in the early days of the pandemic. But now we will be to blame if we do not follow the guidelines they have laid down: to socially isolate, stay apart, and keep those streets quiet.
I long for a return to the bustle of the DC nightlife, to drinks with friends. But I am happy that the streets are quiet tonight knowing that, if we all adhere to these draconian measures, one day we will meet again.
Until that day, stay at home. Protect your country. Save lives.
Alexander Peter is a second year student in the Master of Science in Foreign Service Program at Georgetown University. He is currently a Teaching Assistant for former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
