Disinfo: Italy and other states have deliberately used the COVID-19 pandemic to establish sanitary dictatorships

Conspiracy theory. No evidence is given to support the article’s claims that the Italian or other Western governments have deliberately spread fear about COVID-19 in order to establish dictatorships. This is an example of the recurrent pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative claiming that Western governments have exploited the coronavirus pandemic, and have spread exaggerated fears about it, in order to abolish liberal democracies and establish dictatorships, while Russia has adopted a rational and balanced approach to handling the pandemic, aimed at preventing the spread of fear among the population. This narrative is consistent with a closely related pro-Kremlin disinformation theme that seeks to downplay the severity and urgency of the COVID-19 outbreak, or even to claim thatCOVID-19 is fake and a political move to install hegemony According to these narratives, COVID-19 restrictions introduced by governments – such as lockdowns, quarantines and social distancing – are irrational, hysterical and/or pursue hidden goals of élites and powerful lobbies. These narratives aim to discredit actions taken by the World Health Organisation and by individual countries to stop the spread of the new disease. It is not true that COVID-19 restrictions, introduced by Italy and other governments (including several EU member states) to fight the coronavirus pandemic, have provoked the collapse of liberal democracy and the establishment of dictatorships. Such emergency provisions, such as the curtailment of freedom of movement, are tools that democratic governments need to use, for a limited period of time, in order to rapidly and effectively protect the public health of citizens. It is also not true that the public health dangers of COVID-19 have been deliberately exaggerated by the Italian or other governments. The novel coronavirus, which causes the COVID-19 disease, belongs to a family of viruses originating in animals that include others such as SARS and MERS. It was first reported in the city of Wuhan in central China in late 2019 and has been rapidly spreading across the world ever since. The number of COVID-19 cases has surpassed 37,109,851 globally with over 1,070,355 deaths as of October 11, 2020. However, the death rate aside, the major concern with the COVID-19 pandemic is its potential to overwhelm national healthcare systems, resulting in even more deaths because patients cannot receive treatment as hospitals exceed capacity. Thus, flattening the curve and limiting the spread of the virus - which is highly transmittable - is recommended as an essential precautionary measure by international health authorities, including the WHO. Moreover, restrictive and preventive measures - such as quarantines, social distancing, and the use of face masks - are not (as the article claims) “crazy and liberticide” actions that should be rejected by populations: they are necessary measures introduced by governments to fight the coronavirus pandemic. Read similar cases claiming that ruling élites are spreading coronavirus panic in order to gain unlimited powers and to actively interfere in the economy and that Western governments are deliberately exaggerating and spreading fear about the pandemic in order to strengthen global corporate capitalism.