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Why we find it difficult to recognise a crisis - BBC
The current pandemic has affected some countries more than others, partly because they have been slow to react to the crisis. That, it turns out, is a very human response.
The coronavirus pandemic is upon us, and for many people it feels like it came out of nowhere.
The UK saw its first reported cases at the end of January, by which time the virus was already spreading around the world. But it was not until the middle of March that UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson “advised” people to avoid non-essential travel and socialising, and only on 23 March did he order the country into lockdown. The slow UK response came in for widespread criticism from public health experts.
In the US, President Donald Trump has overseen a chaotic response. The country has had a dire shortage of testing kits, so its government does not know how many people have had the disease. President Trump also repeatedly downplayed the dangers of the disease – although despite what you may have read he did not (quite) call it a hoax. He also incorrectly compared it to seasonal flu, and falsely claimed the US response was more comprehensive than any other country's.
The current pandemic has affected some countries more than others, partly because they have been slow to react to the crisis. That, it turns out, is a very human response.
The coronavirus pandemic is upon us, and for many people it feels like it came out of nowhere.
The UK saw its first reported cases at the end of January, by which time the virus was already spreading around the world. But it was not until the middle of March that UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson “advised” people to avoid non-essential travel and socialising, and only on 23 March did he order the country into lockdown. The slow UK response came in for widespread criticism from public health experts.
In the US, President Donald Trump has overseen a chaotic response. The country has had a dire shortage of testing kits, so its government does not know how many people have had the disease. President Trump also repeatedly downplayed the dangers of the disease – although despite what you may have read he did not (quite) call it a hoax. He also incorrectly compared it to seasonal flu, and falsely claimed the US response was more comprehensive than any other country's.