COVID-19, being a global pandemic, has been reported in 219 countries and territories worldwide. However, it has affected each country differently, owing to the various circumstances in each area. In September 2020, we interviewed Tim from Germany and Rafif from Indonesia about how COVID has impacted their respective countries.
Tim from Germany
Tim, 16, is a resident of Thuringia in Eastern Germany. COVID first appeared relatively late in his region compared to Hong Kong – schools only closed in mid-March 2020. The closure initially lasted until the holidays in April but have since been extended.
Tim thinks that the pandemic has most heavily impacted carers in elderly homes – even before COVID, there had been a shortage of workers in these homes, as the job is stressful but not particularly well-paid. Office workers were also affected, as they had to work from home instead.
Financially, the DAX (German stock index) steeply declined in March and April when everybody sold their stocks, as they did not trust the economy at the time. However, this did not affect the ability of those infected by COVID to receive treatment, as Germany provides universal healthcare funded by taxpayers.
The government has taken measures to control the spread of the pandemic: very strict mask requirements indoors, providing the option of working from home for office workers, disinfecting public buildings, closing schools, etc. Tim stated that Thuringia had “more or less” returned to normal at the time of the interview. However, the state has since experienced a second wave of infections, leading to tightened restrictions.
Tim says that 60-80% of Germans are happy with their government’s management of COVID. However, 20-40% were extremely unhappy as they distrusted the government and were against mask-wearing and other restrictions. Ever since the government allowed demonstrations again in June or July, there have been large-scale demonstrations against the government’s measures.
The pandemic has affected Tim’s school life. As he was in 10th grade at the time, he was required to take an examination at the end of the year. Therefore, his school arranged for his grade to alternate between in-person school and at-home learning for one week at a time. In the weeks they stayed at home, few teachers conducted real-time lessons online; instead, they received tasks through the cloud.
Before COVID hit Germany, the practice of mask-wearing when sick was not commonplace. Instead, they would try to stay at home and not go out. This is in stark contrast to East Asia, where there is a culture of mask-wearing when ill.
However, this has changed due to COVID. There had been a shortage of masks in the beginning of the pandemic, from March to April 2020. Thus, the textile industry began mass-producing masks, which has succeeded in alleviating the shortage.
People are now obliged to wear masks in all public buildings except their own homes, but this restriction does not apply outdoors.
Concerning the prospects of a vaccine, Tim says that he probably would receive the vaccine if it is made available. He trusts that herd immunity will be effective in Germany, even if the anti-vaccination minority are not vaccinated.
Rafif from Indonesia
Rafif, also 16, lives in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia. Like Germany, COVID spread to her country relatively late – around March, after Singapore and Taiwan. The pandemic started with just one person who tested positive, but the virus continued to spread until it was no longer traceable. Now that the government is mass testing the population, Rafif described the number of cases as rising exponentially, although she was not sure if it is due to the mass testing or widespread carelessness.
“Before, [people] were so worried,” she said, “but now, they seem too careless.” While some people who get COVID go to the hospital, some are reluctant to say that they have COVID and admit themselves, as they are afraid that their friends or family may not want to stay near them. Moreover, despite basic healthcare insurance being provided by the government, many cannot receive treatment in hospitals due to financial problems. Despite costs being “not too expensive”, they are still unaffordable to the poor.
Due to the high population density in western Indonesia, where Rafif lives, COVID is spreading faster compared to the less populated eastern Indonesia. “Poor or rich doesn’t really matter,” she says. As long as one lives in crowded areas such as Jakarta or Bali, they are at higher risk of infection.
The Indonesian economy has been heavily impacted by COVID. Unemployment is widespread, and people are struggling with finances. Some businesses have even lost most of their employees. Rafif did not know whether the government gives them money and expressed pity. People were mostly working and learning from home, with Rafif’s school using Zoom, Quizizz, and other online platforms, but some boarding schools continue to let their students learn in person.
The Indonesian government has mainly enforced a mask policy, mainly in big cities – people must wear them, or be fined. Rafif said that her family does not have a mask shortage, as her family made masks for themselves and the people around them. However, she was not sure whether the mask supply is sufficient in poorer regions such as southern Jakarta and Java. People are also socially distancing. As a majority Muslim country, adherents pray five times a day, sometimes in groups or in mosques. Still, they keep a social distance of 1.5 m.
Unlike Germany, there have not been protests against the government’s handling of the pandemic. Rafif, personally, liked the president Jokowi and thought that he was doing a good job regarding the pandemic. However, she said that she does not hear a lot about COVID news and was unaware of future plans by the government.
Rafif said that she would receive the COVID vaccine if available, and stated that there were not any anti-vaccination people in Indonesia. She thought that life would return to normal maybe a year from then.
Significance of the international impact of COVID
Just as COVID has spread across national boundaries, humanity must extend support and compassion internationally. We are all in this together. We must strive to maintain an international, multi-faceted perspective when viewing the COVID-19 pandemic to expand our horizons past the plights of our own regions.
Comments