[simonh]

The Chinese government utterly and completely dropped the ball for the first two whole months of the crisis. They censored and punished doctors trying to raise awareness, and suppressed news of the outbreak allowing mass gatherings to go ahead for political reasons.

After that the severe crackdown came after the virus had been spread internationally, and has precipitated a humanitarian crisis which, again, they are covering up and suppressing.

The Chinese people have been fantastic. They've put up with appalling hardships and suffered greatly for the incompetence and heavy handed ness of their leaders.

[fragmede]

The Chinese government didn't just drop the ball. They actively stole the ball, stabbed it with a knife, and stuffed it down their pants. When asked where the ball went, they very angrily yelled "it wasn't me!"

The culture the government promotes results in mid-level party members to total cowards who are so afraid of looking bad, that they hid evidence that anything might possibly be wrong.

WHICH LEAD TO BIGGER PROBLEMS.

The word to describe the situation is "dysfunctional". Which our healthcare system is, also.