(AP) US response to the virus is met with incredulity abroad

[Dennis Donovan]

https://apnews.com/2a03a4e685316eb7d5a6e7181000fbfe

By NICOLE WINFIELD and LISA MARIE PANE

ROME (AP) — The United States’ failure to contain the spread of the coronavirus has been met with astonishment and alarm in Europe, as the world’s most powerful country edges closer to a global record of 5 million confirmed infections.

Perhaps nowhere outside the U.S. is America’s bungled virus response viewed with more consternation than in Italy, which was ground zero of Europe’s epidemic. Italians were unprepared when the outbreak exploded in February and the country still has one of the world’s highest official death tolls at 35,000.

But after a strict nationwide 10-week lockdown, vigilant tracing of new clusters and general acceptance of mask mandates and social distancing, Italy has become a model of virus containment.

“Don’t they care about their health?” a mask-clad Patrizia Antonini asked about people in the United States as she walked with friends along the banks of Lake Bracciano, north of Rome. “They need to take our precautions ... They need a real lockdown.”

Much of the incredulity in Europe stems from the fact that America had the benefit of time, European experience and medical know-how to treat the virus that the continent itself didn’t have when the first COVID-19 patients started filling intensive care units. Yet, more than four months into a sustained outbreak, the U.S. is about to hit an astonishing milestone of 5 million confirmed infections, easily the highest in the world. Health officials believe the actual number is closer to 50 million, given testing limitations and the fact that as many as 40% of all cases are asymptomatic.

“We Italians always saw America as a model,” said Massimo Franco, columnist with daily Corriere della Sera. “But with this virus we’ve discovered a country that is very fragile, with bad infrastructure and a public health system that is nonexistent.”

</snip>

🎵 Ahm proud to be an amurican where at least I know I'm free 🎵 (and ventilators aren't guaranteed).

[sinkingfeeling]

1. Same here. Unbelievable.

[LiberalBrooke]

2. I am in this country and I too am astounded.

It was all planned for with millions spent to create a task for and playbook to manage a situation like this. I am still incredulous that all of the planning was tossed out to play deadly games by idiots.

[Buns_of_Fire]

3. Sure, we had advantages. But one big disadvantage cancelled them all out. nt

[jimlup]

4. What is astonishing to me is that

the Republicans (who consider themselves to be "The Economy First" party) have wasted all the economic hardship the nation has suffered in exchange for a few weeks of "getting the economy going" only to face real hardship when that inevitably failed.

[Dennis Donovan]

5. It's because they suck at governance

Abject suckitude at it on their part.

[jimlup]

8. I'm not even sure they understand what governance

actually is.

They are masters of platitudes and propaganda but not much else.

[MFGsunny]

17. This! + 1,000,000 n/t

[crickets]

18. The grand lie of 'fiscal responsibility' is exposed. nt

[davekriss]

23. $500 billion ungoverned business fund

Maybe all the little piggies wanted was a taste of the $500 billion, crumbs leftover after the big piggies had their fill. Everything else is collateral damage. For some, it’s entertainment, even sport, to watch the great unwashed masses struggle, wither, and die.

Barr is right when he says the victors write the history books. I’ve heard him say that at least a couple of times. But even if they lose, by the time we find out the money will be long gone.

[smirkymonkey]

6. K&R

[DFW]

7. Europe couldn't believe we watched what happened to them and ignored it

The USA saw what happened in Europe, what solutions worked, what didn't.

That we largely opted for what didn't work left them gaping in incredulity.

I will be going back to Germany next week. I already know that I will be treated like someone arriving from any other unprepared third world country when I arrive.

[LittleGirl]

9. Safe travels DFW. eom

[yaesu]

10. New Zealand has gone 100 days without community transmission of COVID-19 nt

[Dennis Donovan]

11. New Zealand... rocks!

[Tikki]

12. Love me some Rhys...

Not Sorry

Tikki

[EleanorR]

13. K and R

It will be a long, long while before Americans are welcomed into other countries.

[luvtheGWN]

22. And it will be a long, long while

before we Canucks cross the border -- especially snowbirds to Florida, Arizona, New Mexico and California. The economies of the first three are going to suffer big time. Travel agent advisories are warning that the penalties (including quarantine and Covid-illness-related medical insurance) will be significant until the arrival and distribution of an effective vaccine.

[North Shore Chicago]

14. In between

grasping for air and dying......all this winning! Europeans are just jealous.

[Orrex]

15. I'm shocked that the world has underestimated our national stupidity

How could it not have been obvious, when so many idiot racist fuckheads worship Trump like their god incarnate?

[jayschool2013]

16. "Don't they care about their health?"

No, Patrizia. Apparently not enough of us do to make a difference.

L'Italia accoglie i rifugiati americani?

[Scarsdale]

20. Stupidity abounds.

The local Wis. Walmart has a strict (I thought) mask policy. They blocked off one entrance, so only one entrance is available. There is a barrier people have to walk through to get to the door. An employee stands at the start, then at various places, other employees are there to monitor distances and masks. A young woman ahead of me was carrying a mask, which she showed to the employees. I saw her inside the store several times - NO MASK. I am afraid to speak up, since I do not want to get shot or punched. Seems as though the employees are afraid of that too, since nobody said a word, just passed her by. I wondered if she had young ones at home, and what she thinks she is proving by this idiotic action.

[Grins]

19. Love the shot at Lee Greenwood! NM

[bucolic_frolic]

21. We no have Carbineiri, we have anti-masker MAGAzi deplorables

so how could we enforce anything in the USA?

Trump Virus - Badge of Honor - Darwin Awards daily!

[tclambert]

24. People started acting like it was all over the moment we started to make progress

on lowering the number of new cases per day. I'm afraid this may be a part of our culture, to declare victory and start celebrating "mission accomplished" prematurely as soon as we begin to see any positive signs. If we are too impatient as a people to see a lockdown through to real victory, where we have few or no new cases for a couple of weeks straight, then we may repeat this cycle over and over: lockdown, progress begins, calls to reopen everything immediately, resurgence, denial, reluctant admission we reopened too early, lockdown again.

This cycle may end when we get so tired of locking down and it not working that we give up, just like Trump has, let it "wash over" us, and accept millions of deaths so we can get it behind us and pretend all is well again.

[Tommymac]

25. Just ashamed to be from the USA right now.

I hope we can win them back over when Joe is President.

[SiliconValley_Dem]

26. USA! USA! We're #1!!

[CaptainTruth]

27. I have no idea when we'll be able to visit my in-laws in Italy.

We used to go twice a year to visit family & friends.

[triron]

28. Easy to figure. Trump is following Putin's orders. What else is new?

[lpbk2713]

29. I hope in the future they will understand America was held hostage for four years.

By a mad man.

[moondust]

30. But we have the most billionaires.

And that's what counts, right?