COVID-19 RESPONSE: ARE WE ALL THE SAME? A comparison between Brazil and Israel.

FIGHTING COVID-19: ARE WE ALL THE SAME? A comparison between Brazil and Israel.

The new coronavirus shook the world and showed that globalization and the internet have reduced distances across the globe, bringing both positive and negative aspects to this increased proximity between countries and peoples.

There is no doubt that there are more advantages than disadvantages, but we must always remember that countries must preserve their autonomy and independence, including in the way they handle a pandemic like this.

On one hand, there may be influence from one country’s decisions over another—and a clear example during this period of global turmoil was the closing of airspaces. On the other hand, it is not possible to say that the measures adopted by one country must necessarily be followed by another.

There are several examples of neighboring countries that addressed the issue differently and had quite similar levels of control, as well as others that adopted similar measures but achieved different results (in terms of speed and number of infections in their populations).

In fact, the best results were seen in countries that tightened isolation measures, at least initially, making contagion more difficult and thereby gaining time to better prepare or— as is often said—prevent the collapse of the healthcare system.

However, this cannot be analyzed in the same way for all countries.

The example I bring is the comparison between Brazil and Israel.

Brazil, with continental dimensions, and Israel, a very small country (for reference, Israel is roughly the size of the state of Sergipe).

In addition to size, in terms of population, while Israel is approaching 10 million inhabitants, Brazil has already surpassed 210 million (more than twenty times larger) for some time.

These two factors show advantages and disadvantages for each country, whether in terms of isolation measures or the return to economic activity.

Another factor that differentiates countries—and proves that it is not possible to simply copy solutions from country “A” to country “B”—is their economic situation.

Without going too deeply into Brazil’s current situation, it can be said that Israel was in a much more comfortable economic position than Brazil before the outbreak of this chaos (as Brazil was just beginning to recover from a recession). In addition, differences in social classes (and especially income levels) also play a major role in this context.

To explain: in Israel, there was a government-mandated closure of commerce and social isolation that was broadly respected by citizens. The isolation was gradually (but quickly) tightened, reaching near-total lockdown, with only essential services (supermarkets and pharmacies) remaining open.

The country’s political, economic, and social situation—as well as Israel being, unfortunately, accustomed to wartime conditions, which makes the population more “used” to extreme situations—allowed its leaders to calmly design and implement an extreme pandemic response plan (even though, naturally, the uncertainty of the situation required urgent measures and adjustments).

Moreover, Israeli citizens—who, like Brazilians, are very supportive and solidarity-driven—also benefited from the strong example set by the public sector, the army, and the healthcare system, which quickly took decisive actions to confront the problem.

After the period of strict isolation, current reports indicate a gradual reopening of the economy.

Commerce is beginning to reopen. Schools are slowly returning to normal operations (although most students are still attending online classes), starting with younger children and gradually moving to older students, so that parents can also return to work.

Offices, startups, the judiciary, and others are also slowly returning to normal, with employees receiving guidance on how to resume activities (such as distancing between workstations and mandatory mask use).

Tourism—which had been experiencing strong growth before the pandemic—has been the most affected and will likely be the last sector to fully recover. This is because, in addition to domestic decisions, it depends on the reopening of air travel, which is under the control of different countries’ leaders. Nevertheless, a recovery plan has already been submitted to the government and is under careful review.

It is worth noting that, regarding government credibility, all of this took place in Israel during a period of high political uncertainty lasting over a year, with no fewer than three successive elections, without any parliament member managing to secure a majority in the Knesset (parliament) to be appointed Prime Minister. I will leave this topic for another occasion, as it appears that, due to COVID-19, a political coalition was finally formed and a new government established.

It is important to mention that, as in all countries, both lockdown and reopening decisions are governmental actions that can quickly be reversed. One only needs to consider that if reopening leads to an increase in infections or deaths, the government will inevitably be forced to close the economy again.

In short, opening or closing the economy (as well as other preventive measures) has no exact formula. Many circumstances must be considered, as the pandemic is still not fully understood. It seems that only a vaccine—and Israel is among the countries actively and urgently seeking it—could calm the world’s tensions.

I sincerely hope that, even amid this global turmoil, all countries and their citizens—governments, business leaders, employees, and others—are able to maintain serenity in order to face and overcome this battle.

Fabio AjbeszycInternational Representative of IBREI in Israel – Lawyer and Business DevelopmentEmail: fabioajba@gmail.comPhone/WhatsApp: +972527061851