Yuval Noah Harari: the world after coronavirus
This storm will pass. But the choices we make now could change our lives for years to come
暴風雨會過去的。 但是我們現在所做的選擇可能會改變我們未來幾年的生活
By Yuval Noah Harari
Humankind is now facing a global crisis. Perhaps the biggest crisis of our generation. The decisions people and governments take in the next few weeks will probably shape the world for years to come. They will shape not just our healthcare systems but also our economy, politics and culture. We must act quickly and decisively. We should also take into account the long-term consequences of our actions. When choosing between alternatives, we should ask ourselves not only how to overcome the immediate threat, but also what kind of world we will inhabit once the storm passes. Yes, the storm will pass, humankind will survive, most of us will still be alive — but we will inhabit a different world.
人類正面臨一場全球危機。也許是我們這一代最大的危機。人民和政府在未來幾周內做出的決定可能會在未來幾年裡影響世界。它們不僅將重塑我們的醫療體系，還將重塑我們的經濟、政治和文化。我們必須迅速果斷地採取行動。我們還應該考慮到我們行動的長期後果。在選擇的過程中，我們不僅要問自己如何克服眼前的威脅，更要問自己一旦風暴過去，我們將生活在一個怎樣的世界裡。是的，風暴會過去，人類會生存，我們大多數人仍然活著——但我們將居住在一個不同的世界。
Many short-term emergency measures will become a fixture of life. That is the nature of emergencies. They fast-forward historical processes. Decisions that in normal times could take years of deliberation are passed in a matter of hours. Immature and even dangerous technologies are pressed into service, because the risks of doing nothing are bigger. Entire countries serve as guinea-pigs in large-scale social experiments. What happens when everybody works from home and communicates only at a distance? What happens when entire schools and universities go online? In normal times, governments, businesses and educational boards would never agree to conduct such experiments. But these aren’t normal times.
deliberation n.考慮；熟思 guinea-pig n. 豚鼠；作為實驗對象的人
許多短期應急措施將成為生活的一部分。這就是緊急情況的性質。他們快速推進歷史進程。在正常情況下需要數年考慮才能做出的決定，在幾個小時內就能獲得通過。不成熟甚至危險的技術被迫投入使用，因為什麼都不做的風險更大。在大規模的社會實驗中，整個國家都充當了豚鼠的角色。如果每個人都在家裡工作，只在遠處交流，會發生什麼? 如果整個學校和大學都上網會怎麼樣? 在正常時期，政府、企業和教育委員會絕不會同意進行這樣的實驗。但現在不是正常時期。
In this time of crisis, we face two particularly important choices. The first is between totalitarian surveillance and citizen empowerment. The second is between nationalist isolation and global solidarity.
totalitarian n./adj. 極權主義(的) surveillance n. 監控
在這個危機時刻，我們面臨兩個特別重要的選擇。第一個是極權主義監督與公民賦權之間的關係。第二個是國家主義孤立與全球團結之間的關係。
Under-the-skin surveillance
無孔不入的監控
In order to stop the epidemic, entire populations need to comply with certain guidelines. There are two main ways of achieving this. One method is for the government to monitor people, and punish those who break the rules. Today, for the first time in human history, technology makes it possible to monitor everyone all the time. Fifty years ago, the KGB couldn’t follow 240m Soviet citizens 24 hours a day, nor could the KGB hope to effectively process all the information gathered. The KGB relied on human agents and analysts, and it just couldn’t place a human agent to follow every citizen. But now governments can rely on ubiquitous sensors and powerful algorithms instead of flesh-and-blood spooks.
KGB abbr. 克格勃，蘇聯國家安全委員會 ubiquitous adj. 普遍存在的；無所不在的 spook n. 鬼；間諜，特工
為了阻止這種流行病，所有的人都需要遵守一定的準則。實現這一目標有兩種主要方法。一種方法是讓政府來監督人們，並懲罰那些違反規則的人。今天，在人類歷史上第一次，科技隨時監控每個人成為可能。50年前，克格勃不可能一天24小時跟蹤2.4億蘇聯公民，也不可能有效地處理收集到的所有信息。克格勃依靠的是特工和分析人員，它無法安排特工跟蹤每一個公民。但現在政府可以依靠無處不在的傳感器和強大的算法，而不是有血有肉的間諜來監控每一個人。
In their battle against the coronavirus epidemic several governments have already deployed the new surveillance tools. The most notable case is China. By closely monitoring people’s smartphones, making use of hundreds of millions of face-recognising cameras, and obliging people to check and report their body temperature and medical condition, the Chinese authorities can not only quickly identify suspected coronavirus carriers, but also track their movements and identify anyone they came into contact with. A range of mobile apps warn citizens about their proximity to infected patients.
在與冠狀病毒流行的鬥爭中，一些政府已經部署了新的監視工具。最引人注目的例子是中國。通過密切關注人們的智慧型手機,利用數億人臉識別功能的鏡頭,並迫使人們檢查和報告他們的體溫和醫療狀況,中國當局不僅可以快速識別疑似冠狀病毒攜帶者,而且能追溯他們的活動軌跡並找出他們接觸到的任何人。一系列行動應用程式警告市民他們距離感染患者的遠近。
（當然網際網路公司可以輕易做到這點，在疫情的肆虐下，這反而體現了科技的優勢，要是沒有這些新技術的應用，快速扭轉疫情的發展趨勢將會變得十分艱難。谷歌公司同樣在使用這些技術，發揮科技的優勢來抗擊疫情。）
This kind of technology is not limited to east Asia. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel recently authorised the Israel Security Agency to deploy surveillance technology normally reserved for battling terrorists to track coronavirus patients. When the relevant parliamentary subcommittee refused to authorise the measure, Netanyahu rammed it through with an 「emergency decree」.
parliamentary adj. 議會的；國會的 ram through 硬通過
這種技術並不局限於東亞。以色列總理本雅明內塔尼亞胡(BenjaminNetanyahu)最近授權以色列安全局(IsraelSecurityAgency)部署通常用於反恐的監控技術，以追蹤冠狀病毒患者。當相關的議會小組委員會拒絕批准這項措施時，內塔尼亞胡強行通過了一項「緊急法令」。
You might argue that there is nothing new about all this. In recent years both governments and corporations have been using ever more sophisticated technologies to track, monitor and manipulate people. Yet if we are not careful, the epidemic might nevertheless mark an important watershed in the history of surveillance. Not only because it might normalise the deployment of mass surveillance tools in countries that have so far rejected them, but even more so because it signifies a dramatic transition from 「over the skin」 to 「under the skin」 surveillance.
watershed n.分水嶺；轉折點
你可能會說，這一切並不是什麼新鮮事。近年來，政府和企業都在使用越來越複雜的技術來跟蹤、監控和操縱人們。然而，如果我們不小心，這種流行病可能會成為監控歷史上的一個重要分水嶺。這不僅是因為它可能會讓大規模監控工具在迄今拒絕使用它們的國家的部署正常化，而且更重要的是，它意味著從「表面上」的監控向「表面下」的監控的巨大轉變。
Hitherto, when your finger touched the screen of your smartphone and clicked on a link, the government wanted to know what exactly your finger was clicking on. But with coronavirus, the focus of interest shifts. Now the government wants to know the temperature of your finger and the blood-pressure under its skin.
迄今為止，當你的手指觸碰到智慧型手機屏幕並點擊某個連結時，政府想知道你的手指究竟點擊了什麼。但隨著冠狀病毒的出現，政府的關注點發生了轉移。現在政府想知道你手指的溫度和皮膚下的血壓。
The emergency pudding
緊急布丁
One of the problems we face in working out where we stand on surveillance is that none of us know exactly how we are being surveilled, and what the coming years might bring. Surveillance technology is developing at breakneck speed, and what seemed science-fiction 10 years ago is today old news. As a thought experiment, consider a hypothetical government that demands that every citizen wears a biometric bracelet that monitors body temperature and heart-rate 24 hours a day. The resulting data is hoarded and analysed by government algorithms. The algorithms will know that you are sick even before you know it, and they will also know where you have been, and who you have met. The chains of infection could be drastically shortened, and even cut altogether. Such a system could arguably stop the epidemic in its tracks within days. Sounds wonderful, right?
breakneck adj. 非常危險的；極快的 biometric adj. 生物計量的 bracelet n. 手鐲；手鍊 hoard v. 貯藏；囤積
在弄清楚我們處於監控中的什麼位置時，我們面臨的一個問題是，沒有人確切知道我們是如何被監控的，以及未來幾年可能會發生什麼。監控技術正以極快的速度發展，10年前還像是科幻小說的東西，如今已是舊聞。作為一個思想實驗，設想一個假想的政府要求每個公民佩戴一個生物測量手鐲，24小時監測體溫和心率。測試的結果數據被政府的算法儲存和分析。這些算法甚至會在你意識到自己生病之前就提前知道了，它們還會知道你去了哪裡，遇到了誰。感染鏈可以被大大縮短，甚至完全切斷。這樣的系統可以在幾天內阻止疫情的蔓延。聽起來很棒,對嗎?
The downside is, of course, that this would give legitimacy to a terrifying new surveillance system. If you know, for example, that I clicked on a Fox News link rather than a CNN link, that can teach you something about my political views and perhaps even my personality. But if you can monitor what happens to my body temperature, blood pressure and heart-rate as I watch the video clip, you can learn what makes me laugh, what makes me cry, and what makes me really, really angry.
legitimacy n. 合法；合理
當然，不利的一面是，這將為一個可怕的新監控系統提供合法性。例如，如果你知道，我點擊了福克斯新聞的連結而不是CNN的連結，這可以告訴你一些關於我的政治觀點甚至是我的性格的一些信息。但如果你能在我看視頻的時候監測我的體溫、血壓和心率，你就能知道什麼讓我笑，什麼讓我哭，什麼讓我非常非常生氣。
It is crucial to remember that anger, joy, boredom and love are biological phenomena just like fever and a cough. The same technology that identifies coughs could also identify laughs. If corporations and governments start harvesting our biometric data en masse, they can get to know us far better than we know ourselves, and they can then not just predict our feelings but also manipulate our feelings and sell us anything they want — be it a product or a politician. Biometric monitoring would make Cambridge Analytica’s data hacking tactics look like something from the Stone Age. Imagine North Korea in 2030, when every citizen has to wear a biometric bracelet 24 hours a day. If you listen to a speech by the Great Leader and the bracelet picks up the tell-tale signs of anger, you are done for.
tell-tale 指示燈重要的是要記住，憤怒、快樂、厭倦和愛都是生物現象，就像發燒和咳嗽一樣。識別咳嗽的技術也可以識別笑聲。如果公司和政府開始大規模收集我們的生物特徵數據,他們可以了解我們遠比我們自己知道的多,他們不僅可以預測我們的感覺同時也能操縱我們的感覺，並出售任何他們想要的——一個產品或推薦一個政治家。生物識別監測將使劍橋分析公司的數據黑客戰術看起來像是石器時代的東西。想像一下，在2030年的朝鮮，每個公民都必須每天24小時佩戴生物識別手環。如果你聽了偉大領袖的演講，手鐲捕捉到你憤怒的信號，你就完蛋了。
You could, of course, make the case for biometric surveillance as a temporary measure taken during a state of emergency. It would go away once the emergency is over. But temporary measures have a nasty habit of outlasting emergencies, especially as there is always a new emergency lurking on the horizon. My home country of Israel, for example, declared a state of emergency during its 1948 War of Independence, which justified a range of temporary measures from press censorship and land confiscation to special regulations for making pudding (I kid you not). The War of Independence has long been won, but Israel never declared the emergency over, and has failed to abolish many of the 「temporary」 measures of 1948 (the emergency pudding decree was mercifully abolished in 2011).
nasty n.下流骯髒的令人不愉快的 abolish vt. 廢除 lurk vi. 潛伏 censorship n. 審查 confiscation n. 沒收；充公
當然，你可以將生物識別監控作為緊急狀態下採取的臨時措施。一旦緊急情況結束，它就會消失。但臨時措施有一個糟糕的習慣，那就是比緊急情況持續的時間長，尤其是在總是有新的緊急情況潛伏著的情況下。例如，我的祖國以色列在1948年獨立戰爭期間宣布進入緊急狀態，這為一系列臨時措施提供了正當理由，從新聞審查和沒收土地到製作布丁的特殊規定(我不騙你)。獨立戰爭早已勝利，但以色列從未宣布緊急狀態結束，也未能廢除1948年的許多「臨時」措施(緊急布丁法令在2011年被仁慈地廢除)。
Even when infections from coronavirus are down to zero, some data-hungry governments could argue they needed to keep the biometric surveillance systems in place because they fear a second wave of coronavirus, or because there is a new Ebola strain evolving in central Africa, or because…you get the idea. A big battle has been raging in recent years over our privacy. The coronavirus crisis could be the battle’s tipping point. For when people are given a choice between privacy and health, they will usually choose health.
strain n. 張力；拉緊；菌株 tipping point n. 臨界點；引爆點
即使在冠狀病毒感染降至零的情況下，一些渴求數據的政府可能會辯稱，他們需要保持生物識別監測系統的到位，因為他們擔心第二波冠狀病毒出現，或者是因為中非出現了一種新的伊波拉病毒株，或者是因為……你明白了吧。近年來，一場關於我們隱私的大戰正在激烈進行。冠狀病毒危機可能是這場戰鬥的轉折點。因為當人們要在隱私和健康之間做出選擇時，他們通常會選擇健康。
The soap police 肥皂警察
Asking people to choose between privacy and health is, in fact, the very root of the problem. Because this is a false choice. We can and should enjoy both privacy and health. We can choose to protect our health and stop the coronavirus epidemic not by instituting totalitarian surveillance regimes, but rather by empowering citizens. In recent weeks, some of the most successful efforts to contain the coronavirus epidemic were orchestrated by South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore. While these countries have made some use of tracking applications, they have relied far more on extensive testing, on honest reporting, and on the willing co-operation of a well-informed public.
regime n. 政權，政體; 社會制度；管理體制 institute n. 機構，研究所，學會; v.建立 orchestrate vt. 把…編成管弦樂曲；精心處理
事實上，讓人們在隱私和健康之間做出選擇才是問題的根源。因為這是一個錯誤的選擇。我們可以而且應該同時享有隱私和健康。我們可以選擇保護我們健康的同時阻止冠狀病毒的流行，這不是通過建立極權主義的監督制度，而是通過賦予公民權力來實現。最近幾周，韓國、臺灣和新加坡在控制冠狀病毒流行方面做出了一些最成功的努力。雖然這些國家在一定程度上使用了跟蹤應用程式，但它們更依賴於廣泛的測試、誠實的報告和通曉的公眾的自願合作。
（作者不應該好好批評下西方政府嗎，西方國家哪個國家的人口有中國多，但是感染人數是中國的好幾倍，政客們發表的所謂科學的防範措施漏洞百出，朝令夕改，沒有統一的規劃與部署，各個邦各個區各自為政，怎麼能很有效率地抑制病毒傳播呢。文化的不同，讓人們不相信戴口罩，加上政府的效率低下，導致了病毒蔓延，如果不採取強硬的措施，比如政府發布了命令，民眾依然聚會，這就會給傳染鏈條提供途徑，不得不動用警察或者罰款措施來施行強制措施，阻斷傳染鏈條。作者分析這些問題比較膚淺，太理想化）
Centralised monitoring and harsh punishments aren’t the only way to make people comply with beneficial guidelines. When people are told the scientific facts, and when people trust public authorities to tell them these facts, citizens can do the right thing even without a Big Brother watching over their shoulders. A self-motivated and well-informed population is usually far more powerful and effective than a policed, ignorant population.
集中監控和嚴厲懲罰並不是讓人們遵守有益準則的唯一途徑。當人們被告知科學事實時，當人們相信公共當局會告訴他們這些事實時，即使沒有老大哥監視，公民也可以做正確的事情。一個自我激勵、通曉的群體通常比一個被警察控制、無知的群體更強大、更有效。
Consider, for example, washing your hands with soap. This has been one of the greatest advances ever in human hygiene. This simple action saves millions of lives every year. While we take it for granted, it was only in the 19th century that scientists discovered the importance of washing hands with soap. Previously, even doctors and nurses proceeded from one surgical operation to the next without washing their hands. Today billions of people daily wash their hands, not because they are afraid of the soap police, but rather because they understand the facts. I wash my hands with soap because I have heard of viruses and bacteria, I understand that these tiny organisms cause diseases, and I know that soap can remove them.
例如，用肥皂洗手。這是人類衛生有史以來最偉大的進步之一。這個簡單的行動每年拯救數百萬人的生命。雖然我們認為這是理所當然的，但直到19世紀科學家才發現用肥皂洗手的重要性。以前，甚至醫生和護士從一個外科手術到另一個外科手術也不洗手。今天，數十億人每天洗手，不是因為他們害怕肥皂警察，而是因為他們了解事實。我用肥皂洗手，因為我聽說過病毒和細菌，我知道這些微生物會引起疾病，我知道肥皂可以去除它們。
But to achieve such a level of compliance and co-operation, you need trust. People need to trust science, to trust public authorities, and to trust the media. Over the past few years, irresponsible politicians have deliberately undermined trust in science, in public authorities and in the media. Now these same irresponsible politicians might be tempted to take the high road to authoritarianism, arguing that you just cannot trust the public to do the right thing.
但要達到如此程度的服從與合作，你需要信任。人們需要相信科學，相信公共當局，相信媒體。在過去的幾年裡，不負責任的政客們蓄意破壞了人們對科學、公共機構和媒體的信任。現在，同樣是這些不負責任的政客可能會被引誘走上通往威權主義的大道，他們辯稱，你就是不能相信公眾會做正確的事情。
Normally, trust that has been eroded for years cannot be rebuilt overnight. But these are not normal times. In a moment of crisis, minds too can change quickly. You can have bitter arguments with your siblings for years, but when some emergency occurs, you suddenly discover a hidden reservoir of trust and amity, and you rush to help one another. Instead of building a surveillance regime, it is not too late to rebuild people’s trust in science, in public authorities and in the media. We should definitely make use of new technologies too, but these technologies should empower citizens. I am all in favour of monitoring my body temperature and blood pressure, but that data should not be used to create an all-powerful government. Rather, that data should enable me to make more informed personal choices, and also to hold government accountable for its decisions.
erode vt. 腐蝕，侵蝕 amity n. 友好；親善關係；友好關係
通常，多年來被侵蝕的信任不可能在一夜之間重建。但現在不是正常時期。在危機時刻，人們的思想也會迅速改變。你可以和你的兄弟姐妹爭吵多年，但當一些緊急情況發生時，你突然發現了一個隱藏著信任和友好的儲水池，於是你們會趕緊互相幫助。與其建立一個監督機制，還不如重建人們對科學、公共當局和媒體的信任，這一點不晚。我們當然也應該利用新技術，但這些技術應該賦能公民。我完全贊成監測我的體溫和血壓，但這些數據不應該被用來建立一個全能的政府。相反，這些數據應該使我能夠做出更明智的個人選擇，並讓政府對其決策負責。
If I could track my own medical condition 24 hours a day, I would learn not only whether I have become a health hazard to other people, but also which habits contribute to my health. And if I could access and analyse reliable statistics on the spread of coronavirus, I would be able to judge whether the government is telling me the truth and whether it is adopting the right policies to combat the epidemic. Whenever people talk about surveillance, remember that the same surveillance technology can usually be used not only by governments to monitor individuals — but also by individuals to monitor governments.
如果我能24小時跟蹤自己的健康狀況，我不僅會知道我是否對別人的健康造成了危害，還會知道哪些習慣對我的健康有幫助。如果我能獲得和分析關於冠狀病毒傳播的可靠統計數據，我就能判斷政府是否在告訴我真相，它是否採取了正確的政策來對抗這種流行病。當人們談到監控時，請記住，同樣的監控技術通常不僅可以被政府用來監控個人，也可以被個人用來監控政府。
The coronavirus epidemic is thus a major test of citizenship. In the days ahead, each one of us should choose to trust scientific data and healthcare experts over unfounded conspiracy theories and self-serving politicians. If we fail to make the right choice, we might find ourselves signing away our most precious freedoms, thinking that this is the only way to safeguard our health.
unfounded adj. 未建立的；沒有事實根據的
因此，冠狀病毒流行是對公民身份的重大考驗。在未來的日子裡，我們每個人都應該選擇相信科學數據和醫療專家，而不是毫無根據的陰謀論和自私自利的政客。如果我們不能做出正確的選擇，我們可能會發現自己放棄了最寶貴的自由，認為這是保護我們健康的唯一途徑。
We need a global plan 我們需要全球性計劃
The second important choice we confront is between nationalist isolation and global solidarity. Both the epidemic itself and the resulting economic crisis are global problems. They can be solved effectively only by global co-operation.
我們面臨的第二個重要選擇是國家主義孤立與全球團結。疫情本身以及由此引發的經濟危機都是全球性問題。只有通過全球合作才能有效地解決這些問題。
First and foremost, in order to defeat the virus we need to share information globally. That’s the big advantage of humans over viruses. A coronavirus in China and a coronavirus in the US cannot swap tips about how to infect humans. But China can teach the US many valuable lessons about coronavirus and how to deal with it. What an Italian doctor discovers in Milan in the early morning might well save lives in Tehran by evening. When the UK government hesitates between several policies, it can get advice from the Koreans who have already faced a similar dilemma a month ago. But for this to happen, we need a spirit of global co-operation and trust.
首先，為了戰勝這種病毒，我們需要在全球範圍內共享信息。這是人類相對於病毒的一大優勢。中國的冠狀病毒和美國的冠狀病毒在如何感染人類的問題上無法交換意見。但是中國可以教給美國許多關於冠狀病毒的寶貴經驗以及如何應對。一名義大利醫生清晨在米蘭發現的情況，很可能會在傍晚挽救德黑蘭的生命。當英國政府在幾項政策之間猶豫不決時，它可以從一個月前已經面臨類似困境的韓國人那裡得到建議。但要實現這一點，我們需要一種全球合作和信任的精神。
Countries should be willing to share information openly and humbly seek advice, and should be able to trust the data and the insights they receive. We also need a global effort to produce and distribute medical equipment, most notably testing kits and respiratory machines. Instead of every country trying to do it locally and hoarding whatever equipment it can get, a co-ordinated global effort could greatly accelerate production and make sure life-saving equipment is distributed more fairly. Just as countries nationalise key industries during a war, the human war against coronavirus may require us to 「humanise」 the crucial production lines. A rich country with few coronavirus cases should be willing to send precious equipment to a poorer country with many cases, trusting that if and when it subsequently needs help, other countries will come to its assistance.
各國應願意公開分享信息，謙恭地尋求建議，並應能夠相信它們收到的數據和見解。我們還需要在全球範圍內努力生產和分發醫療設備，尤其是檢測設備和呼吸機。與其讓每個國家都嘗試在當地生產，並儘可能囤積設備，不如讓全球協同努力，大大加快生產，並確保救生設備得到更公平的分配。正如國家在戰爭中對關鍵產業進行國有化一樣，人類抗擊冠狀病毒的戰爭可能要求我們將關鍵的生產線「人性化」。一個很少有冠狀病毒病例的富裕國家應該願意向一個有很多病例的貧窮國家提供寶貴的設備，並相信如果它隨後需要幫助，其他國家也會伸出援助之手。
We might consider a similar global effort to pool medical personnel. Countries currently less affected could send medical staff to the worst-hit regions of the world, both in order to help them in their hour of need, and in order to gain valuable experience. If later on the focus of the epidemic shifts, help could start flowing in the opposite direction.
我們可以考慮在全球範圍內採取類似的行動來集中醫療人員。目前受影響較小的國家可以向世界上受影響最嚴重的地區派遣醫務人員，以便在他們需要的時候幫助他們，並獲得寶貴的經驗。如果晚些時候疫情的中心轉移，援助可能會開始向相反的方向流動。
Global co-operation is vitally needed on the economic front too. Given the global nature of the economy and of supply chains, if each government does its own thing in complete disregard of the others, the result will be chaos and a deepening crisis. We need a global plan of action, and we need it fast.
在經濟領域，全球合作也是至關重要的。考慮到經濟和供應鏈的全球化性質，如果每個政府都做自己的事情，完全無視其他國家，其結果將是混亂和危機的深化。我們需要一項全球行動計劃，而且我們需要儘快實施。
Another requirement is reaching a global agreement on travel. Suspending all international travel for months will cause tremendous hardships, and hamper the war against coronavirus. Countries need to co-operate in order to allow at least a trickle of essential travellers to continue crossing borders: scientists, doctors, journalists, politicians, businesspeople. This can be done by reaching a global agreement on the pre-screening of travellers by their home country. If you know that only carefully screened travellers were allowed on a plane, you would be more willing to accept them into your country.
trickle vi. 滴；細細地流 a trickle of 很少的 pre-screen 預先篩查
另一個要求是就旅行達成全球協議。暫停所有國際旅行數月將造成巨大的困難，並妨礙與冠狀病毒的戰爭。各國需要進行合作，以便讓一小部分重要的科學家、醫生、記者、政治家和商人等能夠繼續跨越邊境。這可以通過就本國對旅行者進行預先篩查達成全球協議來實現。如果你知道只有經過仔細篩選的旅客才允許登機，你會更願意接受他們入境。
Unfortunately, at present countries hardly do any of these things. A collective paralysis has gripped the international community. There seem to be no adults in the room. One would have expected to see already weeks ago an emergency meeting of global leaders to come up with a common plan of action. The G7 leaders managed to organise a videoconference only this week, and it did not result in any such plan.
paralysis n. 麻痺；無力；停頓 grip vt. 緊握;抓住
不幸的是，目前各國幾乎不做這些事情。國際社會陷入集體癱瘓。房間裡似乎沒有成年人。人們可能希望看到數周前召開的全球領導人緊急會議能夠達成一個共同的行動計劃。七國集團(G7)領導人只是在本周才組織了一次視頻會議，但並沒有產生任何這樣的計劃。
In previous global crises — such as the 2008 financial crisis and the 2014 Ebola epidemic — the US assumed the role of global leader. But the current US administration has abdicated the job of leader. It has made it very clear that it cares about the greatness of America far more than about the future of humanity.
abdicated vt. 退位；放棄
在以往的全球危機——如2008年金融危機和2014年伊波拉疫情中，美國承擔了全球領導者的角色。但現任美國政府已經放棄了領導人的角色。已經非常清楚地表明，它關心美國的偉大遠遠超過人類的未來。
This administration has abandoned even its closest allies. When it banned all travel from the EU, it didn’t bother to give the EU so much as an advance notice — let alone consult with the EU about that drastic measure. It has scandalized Germany by allegedly offering $1bn to a German pharmaceutical company to buy monopoly rights to a new Covid-19 vaccine. Even if the current administration eventually changes tack and comes up with a global plan of action, few would follow a leader who never takes responsibility, who never admits mistakes, and who routinely takes all the credit for himself while leaving all the blame to others.
scandalize vt. 使震驚；誹謗；使憤慨 allegedly adv.據說，據稱
本屆政府甚至放棄了最親密的盟友。當它禁止所有來自歐盟的旅行時，它甚至沒有提前通知歐盟，更不用提與歐盟商討這一激烈措施了。據稱，美國政府向一家德國製藥公司提供10億美元，以購買一種新型Covid-19疫苗的專賣權，這令德國感到震驚。即使現任政府最終改變方針，拿出一個全球行動計劃，也很少有人會追隨一個從不承擔責任、從不承認錯誤、總是把所有功勞都攬在自己身上、卻把所有責任都留給別人的領導人。
If the void left by the US isn’t filled by other countries, not only will it be much harder to stop the current epidemic, but its legacy will continue to poison international relations for years to come. Yet every crisis is also an opportunity. We must hope that the current epidemic will help humankind realize the acute danger posed by global disunity.
legacy n. 遺贈，遺產 acute adj. 嚴重的，[醫] 急性的；敏銳的；激烈的
如果美國留下的空白不能被其他國家填補，不僅將更難阻止當前的疫情，而且其遺留問題將在未來幾年繼續毒害國際關係。然而，每一次危機也是一次機遇。我們必須希望，目前的流行病將有助於人類認識到全球不團結所造成的嚴重危險。
Humanity needs to make a choice. Will we travel down the route of disunity, or will we adopt the path of global solidarity? If we choose disunity, this will not only prolong the crisis, but will probably result in even worse catastrophes in the future. If we choose global solidarity, it will be a victory not only against the coronavirus, but against all future epidemics and crises that might assail humankind in the 21st century.
assail vt. 攻擊
人類需要做出選擇。我們是走不團結的道路，還是走全球團結的道路? 如果我們選擇不團結，這不僅會延長危機，而且可能在未來導致更嚴重的災難。如果我們選擇全球團結，這將是一場勝利，不僅戰勝了冠狀病毒，而且戰勝了未來可能威脅到21世紀人類的所有流行病和危機。
編者按：這是一篇關於新冠疫情中政府強力監管與公民權利之間關係的思考，帶有明顯的西方個人權利保護傾向，雖然作者是以色列人。起源於17世紀的啟蒙運動席捲了整個西方，影響幾百年直到現在，西方主導世界引領世界發展，其公民與權利意識也成為其他國家或者地區的一面旗幟，作者也不例外受到影響，根植於血液。
整篇以此為基調。在面對全球新冠疫情的時候，西方國家並沒有及時有效地控制疫情的發展，相比於東亞各國，西方各個國家顯得混亂與無序，這方面作者沒有進行反思，著眼點顯得有些老生常談。他們發展到現在，已經出現了各種嚴峻的問題，在疫情面前集中地表現了出來，政黨派別的糾纏，以疫情為題材攻訐對方政黨，不把大眾生命安全放在第一位；所謂科學的結論變化莫測，一開始告訴大眾口罩沒有作用，看到疫情越來越嚴重，又改口鼓勵公共場合戴口罩，社交距離要保持6英尺，但是又有實驗結論為24多英尺內都會感染；各個邦或者地區各自為政，缺乏統一行動；購買醫療物資需要競價，沒有統一調度分配；由於公民權利意識強，疫情發展初期強制隔離措施很難開展，造成大面積傳播；製造業空心化，醫療物資嚴重供應不足；對中國與生俱來的偏見和傲慢，不積極採納中國的成功經驗.......這些問題的根源，都是作者需要深入分析的。