Results: What Do Countries With The Best Coronavirus Responses Have In Common? Women Leaders

Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany, stood up early and calmly told her country that this was a serious virus that would infect up to 70% of the population. "It's serious," she said, "take it seriously." She did, so they did too. Testing began right from the get go. Germany jumped right over the phases of denial, anger and half-measures we've seen elsewhere. The country's numbers are far below its European neighbours, and there are signs they may be able to start loosening restrictions relatively soon. Do you agree that this approach made the difference in Germany's situation?

Among the first and the fastest moves was Tsai Ing-wen's in Taiwan. Back in January, at the first sign of a new illness, she introduced 124 measures to block the spread, without having to resort to the lockdowns that have become common elsewhere. She is now sending 10 million face masks to the US and Europe. Ing-wen managed many media sources have called "among the world's best" responses, keeping the epidemic under control, still reporting only six deaths. Do you believe we could have avoided what we are going through now, if we had acted on it as soon as reports of the virus surfaced?

Jacinda Ardern in New Zealand was early to lockdown and crystal clear on the maximum level of alert she was putting the country under – and why. She imposed self-isolation on people entering New Zealand astonishingly early, when there were just 6 cases in the whole country, and banned foreigners entirely from entering soon after. Clarity and decisiveness are saving New Zealand from the storm. As of mid-April they have suffered only four deaths, and where other countries talk of lifting restrictions, Ardern is adding to them, making all returning New Zealanders quarantine in designated locations for 14 days. Do you think these types of strict responses early on could have prevented the spread of this virus here?

Iceland, under the leadership of Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir, is offering free coronavirus testing to all its citizens, and will become a key case study in the true spread and fatality rates of Covid-19. Most countries have limited testing to people with active symptoms. In proportion to its population the country has already screened five times as many people as South Korea has, and instituted a thorough tracking system that means they haven't had to lockdown… or shut schools. Do you think blanket testing for everyone could have prevented this virus from spreading so quickly (given that it is even possible in our much larger countries)?

Norway's Prime Minister, Erna Solberg, had the innovative idea of using television to talk directly to her country's children. Solberg held a dedicated press conference where no adults were allowed. She responded to kids' questions from across the country, taking time to explain why it was OK to feel scared. Since mid-March, Norway has been under the most strict restrictions ever seen in the country outside of wartime. The authorities believe they have worked to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Do you appreciate a leader who can both take decisive action and a softer approach depending on who she is dealing with (adults in the first case, children in the second)?

There have been years of research suggesting that women's leadership styles might be different and beneficial. Instead, too many political organizations and companies are still working to get women to behave more like men if they want to lead or succeed. Yet these national leaders are case study sightings of leadership traits men may want to learn from women. Do you think woman can lead countries just as good as men (if not even better in some cases)?