World leaders who downplayed coronavirus

As cases of COVID-19 are increasing globally, countries which were sloppy in their response to this pandemic are going through a lot. While some leaders disregarded the warnings, while others suggested baseless remedies.

Hyderabad:Nero, the last Roman emperor is usually associated with tyranny and extravagance. According to a famous expression, Nero “fiddled while Rome burned”. He not only played music while his people suffered but he was an ineffectual leader. Emperor Nero was notorious for his cruelty and eccentricity. He committed suicide at the age of 30, ending his reign.

Let's have a brief look at some of the world leaders and how their decisions impacted their countries: The National Center for Medical Intelligence (NCMI) is a component of the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). The Center which consists of nearly a hundred virologists, biologists, chemical engineers and military physicians; warned in February that coronavirus could spell doom for the US if immediate measures were not taken.

Disregarding their warnings, President Donald Trump assured his citizens that they have got nothing to worry about. As the number of cases shot up, Trump’s words have taken a U-turn. Besides proposing outrageous ideas like injecting disinfectants to treat coronavirus, he suggested lowering the testing rate to reduce the number of corona patients.

Russia remains a dull memory of the USSR, which gave tough competition to the US in every field. Though Russia is seeing a surge in positive cases every day, President Vladimir Putin has nonchalantly maintained that the situation was under control. Even after experts have warned him about the impending healthcare crisis in March, he paid no heed. Overestimating Russia’s capacity, he sent medical supplies, ventilators and other crucial equipment to Italy.

A female doctor who publicly criticized the domestic shortage of masks and PPE, was imprisoned along with her colleagues. It is estimated that there were about 80 lakh job cuts following the healthcare crisis. After realizing the gravity of the situation, Putin’s office has issued a note saying the official machinery had underestimated the virus.

Brazil reported its first COVID-19 case on February 26. But Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro blamed the press for aggravating the situation. He sacked two health ministers for having suggested him to take immediate measures. Rubbishing off the coronavirus as a simple flu, he kept shaking hands with people. He still firmly believes that the corona crisis has been exaggerated.

Pakistan’s military and public are equally disappointed with Prime Minister Imran Khan’s strategies in dealing with the pandemic. Opposition parties have criticized Khan for not having taken the virus seriously. Earlier, Khan announced that the testing capacity was increased to 50,000. But the actual testing rate remains below 20,000; giving rise to public outrage. Pakistan is paying a heavy price for having ignored the severity of the coronavirus.

The number of cases in Italy has increased to 2,00,000. The death toll stands at 32,000. Milan’s Bergamo was the worst hit in this crisis with 2,245 deaths.

Iran, which termed quarantine a barbaric act, has now recorded 1,20,000 cases. The virus has killed about 7,000 people.

Alexander Lukashenko, the President of Belarus, refused to cancel public events and advised people to drink more vodka to ward off COVID-19.

The UK’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson maintained that coronavirus posed no danger. He quickly retracted his words after he tested positive for nCoV and was moved to the ICU.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez allowed sports events with large crowds even after Spain reported several positive cases in March. As a result, the country saw a huge spike in number of positive cases with the current toll at 3,00,000.

Domestically, there have been instances where our leaders suggested paracetamol and bleaching powder to ward off COVID-19. Coronavirus is an invisible enemy. Anyone who was sloppy in their response to this pandemic can be termed a modern Nero.