Quote from: Cnut237 on Today at 10:06:54 AM

Quote from: squatz1 on Today at 09:31:19 AM

Just to start off, I'd like to say that this is a solid post even if I don't agree with what you''re saying here, I do like the amount of thought that was put into this. Great to see.

Thanks - and for the merit. I know that in theory we are supposed to merit 'good' posts, even if we disagree with the content. However in practice this is a rare occurrence, and I for one definitely find it a challenge to give merit when I disagree... so thanks, appreciated, this is what we should all be doing more often.

Quote from: squatz1 on Today at 09:31:19 AM

I use the word opportunity because China telling the rest of the world doesn't guarantee that they're going to close down their borderes with China, just gives the chance for it to happen.

For me this is the crux of it. Yes China tried to suppress the outbreak initially, but I would argue that's not the reason for the huge number of deaths across the world.
If we look at the timeline, even back in January, the WHO was giving a risk assessment of 'high' at the global level (and 'very high' for China).

Here in the UK, our government didn't implement lockdown until 23 March... nearly two months later. Whose fault is it that the UK has thousands of deaths? Whose fault that the US has thousands of deaths? Why didn't the UK lockdown as soon as it became apparent what was happening in China? Why didn't the US lockdown as soon as it became apparent what was happening in Europe? These countries gambled the lives of their citizens against the chance of the virus not reaching them, all in order to prevent a bit of economic damage that would ensue from quarantining new entrants. And it would only have been small economic damage compared to what we have now, due to their failures to act.

Many governments around the world have managed this crisis very badly. Now they are trying the old political trick of trying to pin the blame on someone else. It's absurd.
Also look at the fact that the South China Sea stuff is suddenly back in the news... weird coincidence how this suddenly becomes a major issue at this time.

But I'd have to agree with you, at least a little bit here. Yes, even though China could've warned people quicker -- it doesn't make them solely responsible for everything that happened after that. Though I do think that there is a good amount of blame to lay on their shoulders, as the opportunity to defend themselves earlier wasn't possible. Many countries didn't know that the disease was spreading in their own country, as the time where it began to be noticed was during / after flu season, which has mostly the same illnesses (minus the lethality for older people)

China is wrong as well as other countries are wrong for their inability to strike quickly, but China is the cause for some of this. They should be punished for that.