Crises are always a tough test for governance. During a crisis, a true liberal democracy can only rely on the use of open information and the consent of the population. Unlike them, authoritarian regimes may as well add up force, fear and manipulation to the act of governing. Furthemore, unlike authoritarian regimes, democracies cannot hide their failures for too long. Once citizens lose confi dence in the legitimacy of democracy as the best form of government, because its institutions cannot function effectively during a crisis, that very moment democracies are at serious risk of failure. That’s even more true once the idea that authoritarian regimes manage the crisis more „effi ciently” starts spreading quickly. This article documents various public health responses in different countries, including those less ideal in terms of classical liberal democracy, just to test the idea that authoritarian regimes are more effi cient during public health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.