How international coronavirus coverage has helped to shine a light on UK failings

Countries around the world have had success with measures our government has been slow to adopt ‒ now all eyes are on how these nations will fare post-lockdown, says Gemma Fox

Odense, Denmark: the country has reopened schools after lockdown (AFP)

The coronavirus story in international news has shifted in the last few weeks; no longer are the staggering death tolls in Italy and Spain the top stories – now, countries are cautiously easing lockdown measures as numbers of fatalities level off.

Some industries have returned to work in Spain, Denmark has reopened schools, and small shops in Austria can open for business. New Zealand, which has only seen 14 fatalities, hopes to move from a Level 4 lockdown to a Level 3 next week, with most businesses able to start the process of reopening.

On the foreign desk, we have taken readers beyond the headlines and explained how different countries have responded to the coronavirus pandemic.

We have tapped into a pool of excellent journalists across the world, including Germany, Greece, South Korea, New Zealand, Taiwan, Denmark and Austria, to examine which policies have been successful in flattening the curve.

Countries that have so far avoided huge death tolls typically imposed early lockdowns and mass testing – two key policies the UK was slow to take up.

Other countries, such as South Korea and China, also used real-time tracking of civilians to enforce social distancing, a seemingly Orwellian tactic that is now being considered in Italy.

On 18 March, doctors in Italy were already warning the UK about the dangers we could face if we didn’t act soon.

But our coverage will not just dwell on the lessons we should have learnt. Going forward, the foreign desk will now be rigorously assessing how the countries that have started to lift restrictions will fare. Will they see a second wave, and how will their economies recover?

These answers might just provide the insight the UK so desperately needs.

Yours,

Gemma Fox

Deputy international editor