Opinion | Western governments could have made coronavirus plans in January. Why blame others now?

By the time the WHO formally declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on January 30, any government could have started preparing

From Hong Kong to Hanoi, Asian governments took the pandemic seriously and acted fast

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US President Donald Trump held a campaign rally at the Las Vegas Convention Centre on February 21, weeks after the WHO declared the Covid-19 outbreak an international public health emergency. Photo: Getty Images via AFP

Published: 10:00pm, 7 May 2020Updated: 11:08pm, 7 May 2020

There is a long way to go before the Covid-19 crisis ends. Hong Kong and a few other places seem to have suppressed community transmission. But in much of the world, the virus still claims new victims every day.

Some experts believe the global pandemic could continue for another two years before it is brought under control with testing, contact tracing, therapy and perhaps a vaccine.

It is hard to see international travel and trade returning to normal anytime this year. Worldwide, unemployment will hurt consumer demand into next year. Further ahead, the pandemic might encourage protectionism. It will leave government finances in many major economies in terrible shape.

Yet world leaders are using this time to point fingers and assign blame.

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It is not surprising that people are debating the origins of the new virus. Obviously, this is a topic of scientific interest. It is also understandable that people in lockdown or suffering falls in income are angry and looking for a culprit. But it also looks like many politicians see this as a way to divert attention away from their own mistakes.