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by The kingdom of denmark. . 40 reads.

Europinion Questioning #1 Week 1 ~ Poland-Kaliningrad

The kingdom of denmark/Question:
Which country(s) do you think did their best with managing the Covid-19 pandemic?

Poland-kaliningrad:
As far as handling Covid-19, there are several countries that took proper precautions and managed it the best. Many of the WHO (World Health Organization) member nations took great precaution, but were largely unprepared for the crisis. Some African nations such as Zambia and Kenya enforced mandatory lockdowns, and implemented use of apps and nationwide testing for Covid. This however is largely due to Africa's pandemic prone history, and as such they were better prepared to deal with Covid-19. China, with Wuhan being the epicenter of the disease, handled the issue remarkably well, enforcing quarantines, ceasing flights to and from, and funding hospitals. However, due to being the world's most populous and one of the most unclean nations, China took a heavy hit from Covid, as was to be expected. The nation I believe performed the best during the crisis was Taiwan. Taiwan was blocked from the WHO by China, and thus had to operate largely on it's own. It stopped trade and travel long before China, and began introducing social distancing and moderate quarantine long before other nations. As such, cases in Taiwan were minimized, and the deaths even fewer. Additionally, Taiwan ensured they had an ample supply of face masks for the nation, and delivered excess to harder hit nations, such as Italy, Spain, and the U.S.

The kingdom of denmark/Question:
Which country(s) do you think did their absolute worst with managing the Covid-19 pandemic?

Poland-kaliningrad:
If I had to pick one, probably Italy. The numbers don't lie, and Italy was struck hard. Even China, the epicenter of the disease, the most populous nation, one of the most polluted nations, handled the situation far better than Italy. Italy began enforcing lockdowns almost like an autocracy, as if a switch were flipped. Despite the government personally intervening in the affairs of the people, the disease spread like a wildfire in Italy. It definitely could have done several things better.

The kingdom of denmark/Question:
How do you think America reacted to the virus (compared to other nations)?

Poland-kaliningrad:
To put it bluntly, the United States overreacted to the virus. The population was put into panic mode as soon as Covid was reported to have been spreading, and pandemonium ensued. This is in large part due to the media. (Now, American media is not the sole contributor, but it played a part.) People of all demographics began freaking out, acting as if it were the and of the world. Buying up supplies at supermarkets, (particularly toilet paper) and spreading hysteria on social media, worsening the situation. The government was... let's just say, I'd rather the Taiwanese government have handled the situation rather than our own. Some state governments *cough cough* California *cough cough* took it a bit too far in regards to encroaching on the public doing... well, anything, looking a lot like Italy. Some state governments didn't take it seriously enough, and suffered. Some states, like New York, really had no way of cushioning the blow Covid would bring, given large populations and poverty levels. Overall, I'd say we handled it pretty awkwardly, and there was too much hysteria spread by social media to really crack down on the virus until it was too late.

The kingdom of denmark/Question:
Do you think that President Trump did the best he could to manage America's Outbreak?

Poland-kaliningrad:
Well, yes and no. I believe that he was trying his best to handle the situation, (I mean, I can't really insult the guy too much... you try and govern a rowdy and hysterical American population for a few months and see how it goes...) but he could have done a bit better. His tweets in general are pretty.... bad... but it seems each remark he made on Social Media only worsened the panic. Given that state governments can largely do their own thing as long as they're obeying the overarching rules the president sets down, there wasn't really much he could do to control the situation. However, he and his administration did do an admirable job working on slowly bringing businesses back from bankruptcy, and bringing the economy back. Thousands of Americans were left without jobs, and he sad trying his best to mend that. In short, he didn't to the best at handling it, but he didn't fail miserably either.

The kingdom of denmark/Question:
When do you think the Coronavirus cases will decline enough for the U.S. to reopen its public infrastructure?

Poland-kaliningrad:
I honestly can't say. Covid-19 is currently experiencing a second wave of cases due to Nation governments being forced to open up again or risk a total economic crash.. Given how large the U.S population is, and how much of a hassle it is for the stare governments to control this situation, it's honestly uncertain. Schools across the U.S are scheduled to reopen for the year as normal, albeit with social distancing changes, and businesses are already opening back up (to prevent aforementioned economy crash). Texas was one of the first states to 'open up,' and opened it's restaurants and businesses, some without the need for masks. Louisiana slowly did the same, while watching Texas nervously, and then Texas went under full quarantine again because *surprise surprise,* Covid jumped back up. The economy has to remain open, schools have to keep teaching, but we all need to remain safe. If I had to estimate, I'd say the U.S might be able to officially reopen around December, but there's absolutely no certainty.

The Champions League/Question:
To avoid the pandemic, what would've you done differently at the beginning?

Poland-kaliningrad:
Well, speaking from a government perspective, I would have ceased airline and seafaring travel much sooner, and started implementing a mandatory need for face masks. Quarantines would have been necessary, but not quite as extreme as those we have experienced, as the economy is rapidly failing, which results in being forced to reopen establishments, thus causing more cases of Covid-19. From a personal perspective, I would have started using a mask much earlier, and would have implemented social distancing earlier.

The Champions League/Question:
You see an increased amount of cases, what would you do to flatten the curve?

Poland-kaliningrad:
Well, I would begin encouraging citizens to test for Covid, and further encourage citizens to stay at home. Restaurants would need to remain open, but should offer limited seating and drive through/pickup services. Social distancing is a must have, and by law, to go out in public, people would need a face mask or cover of some sort.

The Champions League/Question:
Why do you think the government and the populace didn't react as quickly?

Poland-kaliningrad:
Well, I believe that they didn't react quickly enough is because it wasn't taken seriously initially. Not enough people knew or cared about it, and were driven to mass panic and hysteria when it was finally a concern to them. In my opinion, it should have been taken seriously from the beginning, and measures should have been taken in advance to prepare.

The Champions League/Question:
How likely do you see this happening again? Why and where?

Poland-kaliningrad:
Something like this is definitely going to happen again. Every few decades, there is a pandemic, and we must be ready for the next. It will likely start somewhere on the battlefield or in the wetmarkets of China, and will hit highly populated countries the worst. It's just nature: pandemics happen, and we must be ready for them. The problem is, not many people know this is a natural cycle, and freak out more. If we acknowledged this in advance and worked to prepare for the next, the hysteria and death toll may not be as high.

The Champions League/Question:
Will the world learn from its mistakes to avoid this from happening again?

Poland-kaliningrad:
Well, I certainly hope so. As I said, a pandemic is going to happen again, but the next will ideally be less impactful on society. Hopefully we will have learned from this pandemic, and will be able to handle the next one better. However, with society being the way it is, it's hard to say.
Guess you could say I'm *sick* of our ignorance.

The kingdom of denmark

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