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Kiwi here. We have a daily news briefing from the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and the Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield regarding Covid-19 at 1pm.Today, one of the reporters asked their opinion on suggestions that you could try injecting disinfectant to ward off Covid-19. Both were stunned and speechless for a moment before emphatically warning people not to try that. You could see the look of disbelief on both their faces as if to say, “what sort of a madman would suggest such a thing in these times?”.That’s pretty much the view most people here have of Trump. He is insane. The way he talks and acts makes me think he is a character from a rejected Marvel comic. It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad. His lies are bad enough, but his political attacks at this time are truly disgusting. He is doing his level best to deflect attention from the utterly incompetent job he has done and along with Mitch McConnell, he is sowing deep divides in American society that will take a long time to heal.All he had to do was listen to his Secretary of Health and National Security advisers in mid January and tens of thousands of American lives would have been saved. Their blood is on his hands.He will go down in history as not only the worst President of all time, but one of the worst leaders of any country ever.

The entirety of Canada is following self-isolation with about 90% compliance. That number is increasing. Self-isolation, though muddied at first, became a major speaking point of the government response.The federal and provincial governments are consistent in their messaging about containment, with daily television briefings from political leaders and the Chief Medical Officers who are offering effective advice and leadership (the Prime Minister self-isolated when his wife was infected, giving briefings from his front entrance).Public health agencies had clear response plans developed with experience from SARS which had hit Canada hard. The National Stockpile was informed by that crisis and maintained.Purchasing of personal protective equipment for healthcare workers and medical equipment has been coordinated at the national level.Information to healthcare workers was widely disseminated to all levels and updated regularly.Despite what many Americans believe, the Canadian health systems are effective and well managed. There were numerous internal responses within the health systems to minimize cross-infection. Again, lessons learned from SARS. The hospitals and EMS systems aren’t fumbling for what to do, they have been planning for this for a decade.

I’m surprised that nobody has mentioned Brunei.The oil-rich country has been hugely dependant on oil ever since it’s existence. It is their main source of income. 90% of their exports are oil and gas as of 2018.Oil has brought them enormous wealth, huge benefits for Bruneians (no income tax, free healthcare, free education), cheap fuel, and made their royal family rich.However, the decline in oil prices and demand has seen their fortunes dried up.In a 2018 report, Asean Today said in part:Oil and gas sector contribution to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) has already fallen from 63.3% in 2014 to an estimated 50% these days…Brunei Darussalam remains committed to natural gas production and its customers through continued commitment in rejuvenating its upstream and downstream facilities to ensure the reliability of supply to its existing and future customers for the next 30 years.Their GDP has also declined From 2012 to 2016 it dropped from $19.05 billion to $11.4 billion. It is expected to decline in 2020 after a brief rise.It’s GDP annual growth is also not looking good. It’s fluctuating between recession and growth.Looking from this, a good way to counter this would be to diversify the economy, like what Saudi Arabia did to counter the oil crash. However, they increased their oil production, despite a global oversupply.The minister added that trading for May cargo will be continued and trading for the June cargo to begin today, noting that the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting demand especially in the US, which will have implications on other benchmarks.“Production will be continued in Brunei and I’ve had a discussion with Brunei Shell Petroleum Co Sdn Bhd (BSP) on this matter as well, and this is the time when you really need to make sure that you always have a diversified portfolio of buyers, ” said the minister.They actually had the opportunity to introduce tourism but sharia law killed any chance of tourists spending their dollars. It has also tarnished its public image.The decline has also affected it’s people. Youth unemployment is at 25%, the highest in ASEAN. Its unemployment rate is at 9.12%Unless Brunei diversifies their economy, it will continue to decline. It’s brightest will leave for greener pastures.Sources:Brunei needs to move away from dependency on oilBrunei says it will continue oil production despite global oversupply (Paywall. Use Incognito)Brunei GDP | 1965-2019 Data | 2020-2022 Forecast | Historical | Chart | NewsBrunei GDP Annual Growth RateBrunei Darussalam - unemployment rate 1999-2019 | Statista