The world may be furious at China for being point zero of a pandemic is that having serious health and economic repercussions, but one thing we don't give them credit for is how they contained the virus.
Until now, I argued that they were brutal and draconian in the measures they took and I don't know if the ends justified the means, but I read an interesting article in the Lancet that shows
there was more to it than brute force.From a government standpoint, China did more than than enforce harsh lockdowns. They have a centralized system which did not need coordinated efforts. They built hospitals that were intermediary places for people who tested positive so that they don't stay at home and get other family members sick. If the patients' symptoms got more severe, they were taken to the hospital at that point. Only one family member was allowed out to go shopping, and drones ensured mask compliance. They banned big gatherings while we twiddled right up until we locked things down.
From a society standpoint, their population is more compliant. They don't have anti-science, anti-vaxxers the way we do, and they don't have the freedumb loving culture we do, so there were no 'my body my choice' idiots. Also, only 3% of elders live in long-term care centres where the virus has devastating effects.
Bonnie Henry keeps getting flack for not mandating lockdowns and mask-wearing and I admit I was on board, but I do now see her point. Those measures aren't effective by themselves, there are many components to a successful containment and mask-wearing/lockdowns are only one aspect of it.
We are lacking in the centralization efforts, we lack the culture and the level of government intervention needed to put in place an effective lockdown.
Admittedly, China was too draconian for what would be acceptable in western societies, but they maintained their economy and are living a normal life at this point so it becomes a personal question on what is and isn't acceptable.
At the other end of the scale we have the US where they sacrificed their citizens for the sake of the economy only to suffer the health and welfare of their citizens and a longer spanning economic ordeal.
Personally, I am realizing now that China actually got it right.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(20)30800-8/fulltext