In Latin America the lessons go well beyond the domain of infectious diseases to the realm of all-out government failure. Weak public-health systems in the region make it difficult to measure rates of infection and fatalities accurately. The truth leaked out when Italian tourists began to get sick and were sent to dismal island hospitals. Even if Cuba had no Covid-19 deaths, totalitarianism would remain morally reprehensible. Most governments in the region seem to agree and have stopped short of using Cuba-style terror to eliminate dissent.

Source: Wall Street Journal September 20, 2020 20:26 UTC