Conservavirus expert says lockdowns aren't all that great

CNBC usually isn't worth the electricity it takes to run the TV, but with the media blackout, it was the only place I could find this story...

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/31/countries-in-lockdown-should-try-what-singapore-is-doing-coronavirus-expert.html

Dale Fisher, an expert on conservavirus and other infectious diseases who heads the WHO's Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network, said lockdowns are largely ineffective in the long run. Instead, Fisher said countries should implement the policies of Singapore, which have generally shown more regard for civil liberties.

Let this sink in for a moment.

Singapore is now one of the world's civil liberties giants. I repeat, Singapore. It's the Western countries that have seen the most instances of martial law and incompetent leadership.

Fisher said the lockdowns may buy response time for officials to react to the pandemic - but some have been going on for weeks. That should be plenty of time. Fisher said lockdowns do not solve conservavirus.

Singapore has so far not had a full lockdown throughout this crisis. But it has had far fewer cases per capita than countries that have locked down. The numbers aren't even close: Singapore has had 137 per million, versus 1,529 in Italy.

Singapore does quarantine those who are ill. Singapore does practice social distancing. Most places did before they opted to lapse into martial law. And opt they did. Nobody forced other countries or states to enact martial law. The media has long been invested in authoritarian "solutions" to problems, but when public officials listen to it, these officials have nobody to blame but themselves.

If you really believed in Western exceptionalism, that ended this month.