"Disaster researchers call this phenomenon “elite panic.” When authorities believe their own citizens will become dangerous, they begin to focus on controlling the public, rather than on addressing the disaster itself...

They clamp down on information, restrict freedom of movement, and devote unnecessary energy to enforcing laws they assume are about to be broken." From @Commentary https://www.commentarymagazine.com/articles/james-meigs/elite-panic-vs-the-resilient-populace/