[Goose]

The USA is an island in terms of this pandemic. At least as much as Canada and definitely more than Norway or Germany.

Yes, but those two were not in your initial list. I would agree that Canada and Germany are much more similar to the US than the nations you originally cited.

 Those that initially delivered the virus to the USA in December-February came via airplane.   Just like they did in Australia, New Zealand.







I don't know what the government will discover, but rest assured POTUS46's government will not just assume our citizens are too selfish or too diverse to get better results next time.







The connective tissue between the Asia Pac nations is far, far greater than you apparently understand.   And each of them has far more travel to and from China then we had pre-COVID.   A major reason they did better is because they took the painful lessons of SARS and MERS and had plans in place for something like COVID-19.

No, not at all like Australia and New Zealand. How many ports of entry does Australia have? New Zealand? Taiwan? Very very few compared to the USA. I do agree with you that Taiwan and Australia in particular did respond very quickly to CLOSE those ports of entry early in the epidemic, particularly in Taiwan. They then reopened some of their (few) ports of entry with mandatory enforced quarantines for all entrants, including returning citizens. We in the USA can do almost the same thing, but it is going to be much more difficult because we have so many more ports of entry. It will require a major organized effort that is not ad-hoc. We will need plans much much bigger than the counties in your initial list. Easier to do when all you have to control is Taoyuan. We also have problems more like Germany (and Canada) that there are many people who cross the border every day for work. The countries in your initial list don't have that problem. What we do there is a question indeed.



As far as what Biden et al will do regarding assumptions about US citizens compliance maters a bit, but not much. It is what the County Health Offices like Dr. Sara H. Cody believe and do that matters. The POTUS doesn't have the power to enforce the quarantine/isolation requirements inside a given State. The Governor and the County Health Officers (as delegated from the State) do. Right now, even with Trump in office, they could. They are not doing so not because they fear Trump but rather because the County and State politicians fear for their political well being. They fear riots in the streets if they go into a neighborhood and arrest somebody who isn't isolating. The POTUS can encourage more serious enforcement, but until the local politicians believe the public will accept it, it isn't happening, no matter who is POTUS. That is an education and information operation that needs to go on at all levels, but particularly the local one.

[Goose]

The USA is an island in terms of this pandemic. At least as much as Canada and definitely more than Norway or Germany.

Yes, but those two were not in your initial list. I would agree that Canada and Germany are much more similar to the US than the nations you originally cited.

 Those that initially delivered the virus to the USA in December-February came via airplane.   Just like they did in Australia, New Zealand.







I don't know what the government will discover, but rest assured POTUS46's government will not just assume our citizens are too selfish or too diverse to get better results next time.







The connective tissue between the Asia Pac nations is far, far greater than you apparently understand.   And each of them has far more travel to and from China then we had pre-COVID.   A major reason they did better is because they took the painful lessons of SARS and MERS and had plans in place for something like COVID-19.

No, not at all like Australia and New Zealand. How many ports of entry does Australia have? New Zealand? Taiwan? Very very few compared to the USA. I do agree with you that Taiwan and Australia in particular did respond very quickly to CLOSE those ports of entry early in the epidemic, particularly in Taiwan. They then reopened some of their (few) ports of entry with mandatory enforced quarantines for all entrants, including returning citizens. We in the USA can do almost the same thing, but it is going to be much more difficult because we have so many more ports of entry. It will require a major organized effort that is not ad-hoc. We will need plans much much bigger than the counties in your initial list. Easier to do when all you have to control is Taoyuan. We also have problems more like Germany (and Canada) that there are many people who cross the border every day for work. The countries in your initial list don't have that problem. What we do there is a question indeed.



As far as what Biden et al will do regarding assumptions about US citizens compliance maters a bit, but not much. It is what the County Health Offices like Dr. Sara H. Cody believe and do that matters. The POTUS doesn't have the power to enforce the quarantine/isolation requirements inside a given State. The Governor and the County Health Officers (as delegated from the State) do. Right now, even with Trump in office, they could. They are not doing so not because they fear Trump but rather because the County and State politicians fear for their political well being. They fear riots in the streets if they go into a neighborhood and arrest somebody who isn't isolating. The POTUS can encourage more serious enforcement, but until the local politicians believe the public will accept it, it isn't happening, no matter who is POTUS. That is an education and information operation that needs to go on at all levels, but particularly the local one.