From time immemorial the epidemics affected the fate of states and their powers both short-term and long-term. How do leaders approach contagious diseases and protect people is a crucial test of governance: a tyranny can become emboldened during pandemics, increase its central power and control and make people obedient in fear of mass death; but also a democracy can dramatically fail addressing the emergency, letting many people die, and/or lockdown businesses and produce long-term negative economic consequences. This article lists five tests that COVID presented, discusses whether democratic states did better, or worse, during the pandemic, and whether female leaders did better than male leaders. It argues that key factors to assess pandemic governance are competence and willingness to listen to scientists, quick and flexible decision-making, capacity and effectiveness of the bureaucratic machinery, and solid trust in the citizenry.