Standing together apart – Communities during the corona times
Holy Week has also knelt down to the Coronavirus pandemics. In Spain, where these dates have a strong cultural importance, the population lived these days surrounded by an awkward ambiance. Public masses were canceled, again with processions and other massive events related to this festivity.
Europe is facing economic challenges due to the spread of COVID-19 across the continent. EU-politicians are warning for Chinese trying to take advantage of the current situation weakening the economy and status of the EU with the aim to gain economic assets and influence. In their publications MEPS and media-platforms are specifically mentioning China as a source of disinformation on the spread of Corona-virus in Europe.
A supposed coronavirus prevention formula was circulating in the internet in previous weeks. According to the text, shared on the WhatsApp platform by Brazilian users, gargling with water, salt and vinegar is sufficient to eliminate the virus from the person’s throat, where it “stays for four days before going to her lung” (data given by the same text message). This mixture, supposedly, will prevent the virus from reaching the lungs and prevent critical medical problems caused by this infection.
I’m one of the students staying in Denmark, but I’m still not sure if I made the right decision. Should I go home or stay here? It’s a thought that keeps haunting my mind.
My mother told me a story dozens of times before I went to bed. In the story, there was a shepherd, who once went up the hill, to warn that a wolf was coming. When the villagers came up, they saw that it was all the shepherd’s joke. The shepherd repeated the joke four more times, until the wolf really came. On that occasion, the villagers were already fed up, and that time they did not come to help the sheppard. Now, I realize this child story could be translated to the current situation. I changed the village for society, the shepherd for the traditional media, and the wolf for the Coronavirus, and the result is both surprising and effective. Something as simple as a child story could be used to understand how the media have worked in health issues.
From Aarhus, Denmark, I saw from a distance as a foreigner living abroad how the infections and deaths from COVID-19 rapidly accumulated in the Netherlands. When I returned home and was in the middle of it, the numbers stopped for me.
During these times when COVID-19 has spread across the world, people’s lives are being affected by the measures taken to control the spread of the virus and prevent more deaths. I am making the best out of the current situation staying at my dorm and keeping myself active by biking in the hills, cooking tasty dishes and hanging out with my roommates. I try to do the best I can to continue my exchange-program here in Denmark through online means. This lockdown-situation disturbs the daily activities of most people and is causing great uncertainty for many. Staff working and students studying at schools and universities are facing challenges because people are not able to meet physically.