Some calls for ‘liberation’ must be ignored. Donald Trump — the president’s myopia seems incurable — recently declared on Twitter that the states of Michigan and Minnesota must be ‘liberated’ from the strict social-distancing protocols imposed by their Democratic governors. Mr Trump’s appeal is consistent with efforts by the right-wing ecosystem, within the United States of America as well as in other countries, to discredit not only scientifically validated safeguards on public health but also those adhering to these crucial guidelines. In Brazil, the president, Jair Bolsonaro — he shares Mr Trump’s ideological stripes — has described the pandemic as a ‘little flu’ and is known to be a vocal critic of the lockdown. In the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, in a rather callous act, had made it a point to shake hands with Covid-19 patients; it is unclear whether his experience of battling with the disease would make the prime minister more pragmatic during the course of public relations exercises in the future.

Some broad patterns can be discerned from such unreasonable conduct in high places. There is, for one, a method in the madness. A common attribute among right-wing dispensations is their attraction for partisanship. Mr Trump’s wilful undermining of social distancing norms — its implications for public health in a nation with a significant load of coronavirus patients can be ominous — is primarily an attempt to target political rivals. That the president pursued divisive politics — the concept of federal cooperation eludes the governments of the US and India — at a time when nations must stand united against a common enemy is especially distressing. Mr Trump’s conduct — he has Mr Bolsonaro for company in this regard — reveals a disproportionate prioritizing of the imperatives of the economy over public health. It is true that mitigatory actions, be it lockdowns or social distancing, are having an adverse effect on economies. The US has been experiencing steep job losses and the economy, by some estimates, is expected to contract by 10-14 per cent. But that does not mean that the president — he takes pride in his credentials as a businessman — has the right to sacrifice public health at the altar of the economy. Striking a fine balance between health and economy is the need of the hour. Appreciating such complexities of the coronavirus pandemic requires a rational disposition. But reason is anathema to the far-Right. That could explain the spreading rash of irrational sentiments across the world.