Below was the message sent to me by a Malaysian in response to my comparison between how the US and Malaysia deal with the lockdown. My other friends here in other Asian countries (South Korea, Thailand, Vietnamese, Chinese (Hong Kong, Mainland China, Taiwan) also share the same sentiment.

"I guess it will come down to the values; Americans value individualism and freedom, thus it is hard for them to follow the Stay Home Stay Safe order and hence the demonstrations against the rule. On the contrary, Malaysian value of ‘doing what right for the community’ made it easier for us to follow the Movement Control Order and to stop the pandemic crisis, even if it means we will endure some economic loss."

This is what is known as "social harmony" in East Asian culture. Without social harmony, a society has a tendency to fall apart.