Corona-Skepticism

Even for them, the tone has changed. Until several days ago, Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro were among what might be called the “corona-skeptics.” Just last Thursday, the American president wagered that the crisis would be over by Easter. As for Brazil’s leader, his multiple statements calling the coronavirus a “little flu” had to be deleted by Instagram and Facebook to avoid making the health situation worse.

Then on Wednesday, April 1, they both adopted a tone that was much more responsible, if not more modest. They prepared citizens mentally for grievous news, called on them to observe the stay-at-home orders and stopped prioritizing the economy over public health.

Two lessons can be learned from this change of direction. The first has to do with populism. In the post-truth era, it is indeed possible to run an election campaign on alternative facts. But in the end, reality always wins over mere power.

The second lesson is applicable to all political leaders. Trump and Bolsonaro are hardly the only ones who were late to respond to this extraordinary crisis. Regardless of their ideologies or personalities, they are all guilty of groping about, even lying, before instituting confinement policies that overall resemble each other everywhere. In most countries, leaders’ consciences won out only slowly, as evidenced by the contradictory statements they made in recent weeks. Such hesitation was inevitable, since this is a new situation. Now that the crisis is plain to see, though, with all its drastic implications, no politician can avoid denying the danger of COVID-19. Not to do so, especially in the poorest countries, would be criminal.