The US military provide plenty of early advice suggesting a pandemic was on it way, but that advice was mostly ignored:

https://ktvz.com/politics/2020/03/21/washington-post-us-inte...

Some of the politicians did heed the advice, at least when it came to managing their share portfolios, taking the opportunity to sell up while telling their constituents there was no imminent threat:

https://www.propublica.org/article/senator-dumped-up-to-1-7-...

You're plainly wrong. In early January, S.K. government actually summoned all the private biotech companies and ordered them to prepare against potential epidemic scenarios.

Europe and the US even had more time, there is no excuse. It was clear from the day one how to or not to act. Europe and the US did not act at all in the beginning until it was to late to check each single case.

It’s not clear what ‘day 1’ means in the context of China though. China has kicked out all western reporters, constantly lies like Russia even when the truth is visible in the background, and arrests citizens who try to get around this system.

The west was never going to believe what was happening in China because it is impossible to know without invading them.

Now the focus is on bending the curve with minimal effort.