[nomadking]

Originally Posted by Russ

2nd best prepared country? Given how unprepared we were that’s like being the second best sexually transmitted infection.

So remind me again, who exactly was prepared?

South Korea does not have enough protective masks - it has started rationing them - and it is trying to hire more trained staff to process tests and map cases. And the approach comes at the cost of some privacy. South Korea’s system is an intrusive mandatory measure that depends on people surrendering what, for many in Europe and America, would be a fundamental right of privacy. Unlike China and the island-state of Singapore, which have used similar methods, South Korea is a large democracy with a population that is quick to protest policies it does not like.

In South Korea as in Italy, an early case of COVID-19 was identified when a medical officer followed their intuition, rather than the official guidelines, on testing.