To those blaming density for pandemics:

Here’s a picture of Singapore, which is the 3rd densest place in the world, and has only *six* corona deaths.

If Singapore were a city in America, it would be the 2nd largest.

“Singapore is authoritarian, so that’s not a fair comparison.”

You don’t need to be authoritarian to test and plan.

We can also control for that. South Korea, for example, is a full fledged democracy, with over 50 million people, and only 177 deaths.

And then there’s very democratic Germany https://www.businessinsider.com/why-germany-has-a-low-covid-19-mortality-rate-2020-4?amp

Switzerland = planners https://www.thelocal.ch/20200327/explainer-why-switzerland-wants-to-test-former-coronavirus-patients/

Some people have made mention of a resurgence in Singapore, but it’s important not to overstate this. From March 21st to present, the death count in Singapore has gone from zero to six.

Even if the death count were to increase into the hundreds, the point remains: when it comes to pandemics density is *a* factor but not *THE* factor. With proper planning, testing, and early action, pandemics can be controlled in very dense places.

And this is vital to understand, because the benefits of density greatly outweigh the costs.

New rule: if you conflate Singapore with China, you have to write “Singapore isn’t China” 100 times on the chalkboard.

This is a legendary response.

“Everyone lives close to doctors and hospitals” is just one of many perks of living in a dense place with a world-class healthcare system.

It also doesn’t help when electeds conflate “density” with “crowding.” Corona will eventually pass, but stuff like this will linger.

https://twitter.com/nygovcuomo/status/1245391921503240206?s=21 https://twitter.com/nygovcuomo/status/1245391921503240206

Does density matter? Yes

Does planning, testing, and action matter more? Fuck yes