These countries crushed covid-19 — but are now reporting higher infection rates than the U.S.

The experience of these three nations demonstrates the difficulty of keeping the virus at bay, experts and officials say, and how reopening too quickly and other missteps can undermine successful national policies. For countries with more chaotic approaches, such as the United States, the challenge may be even greater.

“We are going into a worsening situation,” Hans Kluge, the World Health Organization’s top official in Europe, told reporters Thursday. He said the rising numbers on the continent should serve as “a wake-up call for all of us” to be more vigilant about the transmission of the disease.

Israel, meanwhile, entered a new three-week lockdown Friday, a particularly bitter blow because it coincides with the beginning of the Jewish High Holy Days.

Taking into account population, a handful of countries have higher rates of coronavirus diagnoses than the United States does. But Israel, Spain and France — all similarly positioned to the United States, in that they are democracies with advanced medical systems and deep pockets — stand out for having made dramatic progress against the health menace before seeing gains reversed. ...