Table 2.

Major non-drug interventions in response to COVID-19 in the United States, South Africa, and Italy.

Measure/Country	The United States	South Africa	Italy
Overall strategy	Mitigation strategy
Government response	The U.S. government declared a national state of emergency on March 13, 2020. On April 1, US President Donald Trump approved a “state of disaster” for 30 states.	South Africa declared a state of national disaster, activated a crisis management mechanism and set up a national response command committee. South Africa’s president has announced a level 2 nationwide response to the third wave of COVID-19.	A working group on COVID-19, led by Italy’s health minister, has been set up to review the progress of the epidemic and propose measures to prevent and control it. The Italian government has declared a state of emergency.
Community policy	On March 16, 2020, the US government prepared to take any necessary measures. Consider implementing measures such as isolation and curfew in “hot spots,” but temporarily do not consider implementing them nationwide.	All social activities were banned, people were allowed to go out for food, medicine and medical treatment, and most businesses were closed. A curfew was imposed.	All activities were suspended, places of recreation closed; All sports activities were suspended and all shops except food stores and pharmacies were closed. All non-essential and non-critical production and business activities were halted.
Medical system	The first temporary hospital in New York was completed on March 28, 2020. The governor of New York State has said that there is an extreme shortage of ventilators in New York. New York had only 5,000 to 6,000 ventilators, but needed a total of 30,000, so it procured them from around the world.	A South African construction company has built an isolation facility at a hospital specifically for the novel coronavirus. The second wave of the outbreak has put a heavy strain on South Africa’s health system, with hospitals temporarily redeploying beds and staff and postponing a large number of non-emergency operations.	To ensure the safety of health workers, the Government has taken urgent action to secure more protective equipment and ensure the functioning of the health system. Makeshift hospitals have been set up, the first consisting of 15 tents with 60 beds.
District management	The Deputy Secretary of Defense has signed a memorandum of understanding on the internal travel ban.	The lockdown order was strictly enforced across the country and the lockdown level was set at level five, the most stringent.	Italy was declared a “red alert zone” and the country was put under martial law by the military.
Campus measures	Since March 8, 2020, many colleges and universities in the United States have been closed. Primary and secondary schools have suspended classes; Schools in several states began opening in August 2020.	The government decided to delay the opening of public and private schools by two weeks. Schools can resume full time learning after the cabinet issued changes to coronavirus regulations.	The Italian government decided on March 6 that all schools and universities in Italy would be closed until mid-March, and later announced that all schools would be closed for an extended period.
Border control	The US government has announced it is closing its borders with Canada and Mexico.	Borders have been closed, border controls tightened and inter-provincial travel banned.	Travel restrictions were put in place, requiring all people entering the country from Croatia, Greece, Malta and Spain to undergo virus testing.
Relaxation measures	The United States reopened its borders by lifting restrictions on foreign travelers from 33 countries and territories.	The government gradually lowered the lockdown level from phase 5 to Phase 1, relaxed quarantine measures and began to resume work and production. In June 2022, South Africa repealed its COVID-19 quarantine regulations.	Residents were allowed to move from city to city, industries began to resume work, schools resumed classes, and entry and exit travel was allowed. Since May 2022, Italy has gradually relaxed its control over the COVID-19 outbreak.
Financial relief	On March 20, 2020, the U.S. Treasury Secretary said that the Trump administration would extend this year’s tax deadline, originally set for April 15, by three months to July 15.	The South African government further improved and expanded employment-related tax incentives, and increased support for poor families, with social benefits reaching more than 10 million people.	The government offered 32 billion euros in financial aid to businesses, self-employed people, local governments and related industries affected by the pandemic.

The data came from the official websites of the three governments (18–20).