2020 was, arguably, one of the toughest years in the history of mankind, and even as it comes to a close, uncertainly over a new coronavirus strain, vaccine distribution and reopening continues to loom over the horizon. Some critics would argue that while living through a pandemic was hard, it was made tougher by the response from leaders of countries across the world. Others, however, would claim that it was precisely because of these leaders that the unprecedented crisis became easier to sail through. Whatever one’s personal opinion, the crisis brought out the best and the worst in world leaders. Here’s how they reacted to one of the gravest crisis humanity has had to face.

Donald Trump

U.S. President Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus has been the most divisive, at least in the United States. In fact, according to reports, his response, or the lack of it for some, might have been one of the significant reasons for his defeat in the November Presidential elections, which saw President-elect Joe Biden win the Presidency. In January, Trump had said that the US administration has the pandemic “totally under control” and that “it’s going to be just fine”. From that statement about a year ago to now, as US reels through increasing virus cases and is the worst-affected country in the world, things have changed rapidly. Trump’s critics blame the pandemic’s effects solely on him, while his supporters insist that he did all that he could.

Xi Jinping

Considering the fact that coronavirus originated in China, Xi Jinping, the Chinese President, has been under considerable pressure to answer uncomfortable questions about the pandemic. But in China itself, reports suggest that the administration has been able to bring the spread of the virus under control using strict and authoritarian measures, which critics have said are anti-democratic in nature. Through this all, the Japan Center for Economic Research has said that China’s economy is on its way to maintaining a positive year-on-year GDP growth rate.

Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arguably been one of the more successful leaders to have responded in a timely manner to the pandemic. In March, he declared a ‘Janata Curfew’, which was followed by a nationwide lockdown. Throughout the extensions of the lockdown, and the subsequent reopening process, PM Modi continued to address the nation and meet Chief Ministers of states virtually. His critics have, however, slammed the sudden lockdown announcement and the government’s handling of the migrant crisis, as also the unchecked effects of the government’s moves during the pandemic on economy.

Jacinda Ardern

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been highly praised for her handling of the pandemic in her nation. Ardern had announced Level 4 restrictions in March, when New Zealand had 102 cases. “But so did Italy once,” she had reasoned. The restrictions were unprecedented in the country’s history, with police forces and military personnel being deployed to ensure that they are followed. While cases were reported in August after months of the nation going virus-free, the pandemic has been under control in New Zealand, and for her efforts, Ardern was named as one of the world’s 100 most powerful women in 2020 by Forbes.

Boris Johnson

The new strain of coronavirus and the fresh set of crises brought forth by it for the United Kingdom apart, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson hasn’t been viewed too positively for his handling of the pandemic, if reports are to be believed. In March he had said that he is shaking hands “continuously” and that he did, in fact, shook hands “with everybody” at a hospital with coronavirus patients. By the end of that month, he had tested positive for the virus, and was hospitalised in April. Ever since, 2020 has been a year of intermittent lockdowns for the UK, with the latest lockdown being imposed after a fast-spreading variant of coronavirus was detected.

Jair Bolsonaro

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been perhaps the most criticised leader on this list for his handling of the pandemic. He has called coronavirus “little flu” and “fantasy” among other adjectives, which doesn’t make his response to it hard to imagine. Moreover, even as the death numbers soared, he had said, “… You can’t stop a factory because of traffic deaths”. Brazil now has the third highest number of coronavirus cases in the world, and it remains one of the few countries to have never imposed a nationwide lockdown since according to Bolsonaro it ends up affecting the economy. Now he has said that he won’t be taking the vaccine since that’s his “right”.

Tsai Ing-wen

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has been credited with controlling the pandemic in Taiwan successfully without actually imposing any lockdown. According to reports, this was due to a quick response which was assisted by effective monitoring and tracing of contacts. Travelling to Taiwan now requires a negative COVID-19 test result taken three days before boarding a flight to the country, not to mention 14 days of quarantine. Forbes called Tsai one of the 100 most powerful women in 2020.

Vladimir Putin

The Russian President has claimed that Russia‘s handling of the pandemic has been better than the US’, and while that is up for debate, some critics have said that the top Russian leadership is unaware about the pandemic’s scale on the ground. Although cases have been rising, Putin had in October said that the country won’t be going into a lockdown again (Russia had imposed a nationwide lockdown from March to May), though certain restrictions will continue to be in place.                (Source: Moneycontrol)