Coronavirus Epidemic: Gift for Would-Be Dictators

UnknownOf the lessons of the virus, some are epidemiological but many are political:

‘The highly repressive Chinese Communist Party, after arresting and intimidating whistleblowers early in the outbreak, has since won acclaim from the World Health Organization for imposing draconian quarantines on tens of millions of people. This weekend, South Korea went on high alert, preparing to take what may be similar measures. Italy—Italy!—has locked down 50,000 people, with more restrictions expected soon.

Short of war, it’s hard to imagine more unlimited license for autocracy than the kind of plague spreading around the world right now. …’

Via Daily Beast