Lot of talk about mistakes of Italian authorities in the COVID crisis. Some were important (no red zone in Bergamo, reluctance to lockdown Milano, errors in some hospitals). But Italy was caught by surprise. How did other European governments fare with a few weeks notice? Thread:

Switzerland and Germany did fine. Successful in early isolation of the elderly. CH worked hard on hospital bed capacity. CH reacted too slow to Ticino crisis but then caught up. Transparent communication, and extensive testing. Both kept mortality relative to infections low.

Spain: bad, bad, bad. Irresponsible to let street demonstration and sport events go on March 8. Chaotic and ineffective measures (people fleeing Madrid). Disconcerting communication strategy: kept repeating that the worst part was over well before there was any sing of it.

Netherlands and UK. Reckless statements about herd immunity, taking guidance from behavioral scientists rather than epidemiologists, virologists and (serious) economists. Then, panic and late measures. Censored by Lancet. Higher mortality rates than Germany and Switzerland.

Sweden. Lucky (so far) not to be in the center of the epidemic. Government seems confident what happened in Italy is unthinkable in Sweden (because Swedes are different?). Freedom and openness are beautiful ideals, they remind closely of "Milano cannot be locked down.

In the end, did Italy fare so poorly? Relative to Plato's ideal state, maybe. Relative to other countries facing similar constraints but having time to learn and adjust, perhaps not so bad.