The response to the coronavirus is not a clash of ideologies, but rather a debate about competence versus incompetence.

By Cynara Menezes, in Socialist Morena and for the Journalists for Democracy

The reaction of municipal, state, and federal governments to the coronavirus pandemic worldwide does not, contrary to what one might imagine, pit left against right, but rather competence against incompetence in managing crises; preparedness against unpreparedness in the exercise of office. Those leaders who are prioritizing ideology over public health, as has already been warned. Cuba e ChinaThey are making a serious mistake and, as a result, will be directly responsible for the thousands of deaths that may occur in their countries.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, from the right, is an example of leaders who rationally chose to prioritize public health. Germany, although the fifth country in the world with the most infections, has a low death toll compared to others, thanks to the government's swift action in mass testing of its citizens and isolating those infected.

Angela Merkel, from the right, is an example of a leader who rationally chose to prioritize public health. Like Alberto Fernández, from the left, the German leader is fighting the pandemic without leaving workers unprotected.

Merkel is also taking the right steps regarding the economy. She has allowed companies to reduce working hours, but the Federal Employment Agency... will pay the workers the 60% loss.The liberal prime minister will grant unlimited loans to struggling companies to maintain liquidity and avoid layoffs, and even intends to... nationalize some of them in strategic sectors, such as pharmaceuticals.

Look at the difference compared to the decisions of Jair Bolsonaro, also from the far right. Besides downplaying the pandemic, calling it a "little flu," and setting a bad example by repeatedly violating the social isolation advised by the WHO, Bolsonaro is placing the entire burden of the crisis on the shoulders of the worker. The Provisional Measure he announced authorizes employers to... suspend the employment contract for 60 days and reduce salaries by 70%.How will people eat, pay the rent? For the president, this must be a "minor detail".

From the left, Argentine President Alberto Fernández has been demonstrating competence in managing the crisis. He decreed a mandatory general quarantine as early as March 19th.It created social protection mechanisms and has now prohibited companies from firing employees without just cause for 60 days.

His right-wing neighbor, Luis Lacalle-Pou of Uruguay, did not decree a mandatory quarantine, but suspended all public performances and classes in schools and deployed police to the streets to prevent gatherings. Lacalle-Pou, who defends the South Korean strategy of mass testing of the population (which is not difficult in a small country), met with the opposition in the spirit of "we'll all get through this together" and announced a reduction in the highest salaries of public sector employees to allocate to a “Coronavirus Fund”.

In Brazil, it's clear that ideologies should take a backseat when we analyze the correct actions of mayors and governors, who aim to protect the population. Bolsonaro, on the other hand, only talks about the economy.

Meanwhile, the center-left government of Pedro Sánchez in Spain He made many mistakes in the fight against the pandemic. And now the country holds the sad title of second in the world in the number of deaths, precisely because of the delay in reacting. Of the six scientific advisors to the Spanish government, three minimized the danger for too long, and although the leftist allies of Ahora Podemos and even the right-wing opposition PP pressed for stricter quarantine measures, the president only ordered isolation later. after deaths skyrocketed.

The same thing happened in the United States, only with an opposing ideology in charge. While "communist" China confronted the virus by locking down entire cities, the far-right extremist Donald Trump only yielded to Xi Jinping's expertise in combating the pandemic when he realized the avalanche of deaths resulting from the "Chinese virus," as he called it. There are more than 200 infected and 4.600 dead so far, and Trump himself estimates that the death toll will reach 200.

It is certain that the lack of preparedness for the job is more evident on the far right. Bolsonaro and Trump's reactions were identical: first they resorted to conspiracy theories, saying that the virus was an invention of their enemies, only to surrender to the evidence much later, when the disaster had already spread.

While Trump denied the pandemic, saying it was a "hoax" spread by the Democrats...

...Bolsonaro claimed it was "an invention of the press."

Another who underestimated the pandemic was the British Prime Minister, the right-wing Boris Johnson, until… he was infected with the coronavirus. From then on, he started using the hashtag #StayHomeSaveLives on social media.

But Lenín Moreno, from Ecuador, supposedly left-wing since he was Rafael Correa's vice president, had a similar stance. Moreno's performance in the face of the pandemic was so pitiful that the country became the champion of cases in Latin America, in proportional terms. The local and international press is showing shocking images of people dying in the country without even their bodies being collected from the streets.

Other left-wing leaders who downplayed the pandemic like their right-wing counterparts were López Obrador in Mexico and Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua – the latter long unworthy of the label "leftist"In the midst of the coronavirus crisis, his wife and vice president, Rosario Murillo, called for a march of supporters to take to the streets under the slogan "Love in Times of Covid-19" on March 15th, exactly as Bolsonaro did in Brazil.

López Obrador also defied health guidelines by advising people to continue hugging, maintained meetings with the population, and even presented his "greatest weapon" against the coronavirus: two scapulars. Religious proselytizing, as we can see, is not exclusive to the right wing.

It must be said that, so far, both Mexico and Nicaragua have presented a small number of infected and dead, but experts warn that the wave of infections is yet to arrive with force in both countries. There are even those who predict that Mexico could quickly become... A new Italy, or worse..

In Brazil, it's clear that ideologies should take a backseat when we analyze the actions of mayors and governors compared to those of the president. Regardless of political affiliation, most of the country's leaders have made the right decisions regarding the coronavirus, decreeing social isolation and the closure of businesses and schools to protect the population. Bolsonaro, on the other hand, only talks about the economy.

Right now, ideologies are not only not helping, they are hindering the fight against the pandemic. That's why it's positive to see former President Lula and Governor Doria setting aside their differences.

João Doria Júnior (SP), Ronaldo Caiado (GO), and Wilson Witzel (RJ), from the right, acted correctly in relation to the coronavirus, as did Rui Costa (BA), Flavio Dino (MA), and Camilo Santana (CE), from the left. Aligned with the Planalto Palace, the governor of Santa Catarina, Carlos Moisés, allowed himself to be guided by ideology and even issued an ordinance predicting the end of isolation on March 30th, but eventually reversed course and extended the quarantine. until April 7th. The Bolsonaro-supporting governor of Rondônia, however, had to be... forced by the Justice system to keep businesses closed.

Right now, ideologies are not only not helping but are hindering the fight against the pandemic. The facts show that this is not the time to be guided by political-electoral reasons, but rather by public health. Therefore, it is positive to see former President Lula and Governor Doria setting aside their differences. To oppose the union of opposing views in the name of the common good is a petty attitude that demonstrates only a lack of love for Brazil and Brazilians.