International Perspectives on the Coronavirus Pandemic

Event Reflection

22 April 2020, Zoom Meeting, 9:00am-10:00am

This event consisted of a virtual panel of students from various countries around the world who answered questions about how the Coronavirus pandemic has influenced their everyday lives and the governmental and societal responses to the pandemic in their respective countries.  We got to hear from students from France, Germany, Morocco, and China.  I thought it was really cool how even though we have all been in lockdown, with travel being impossible at the moment, we still had the opportunity to connect with students from other countries, isolated in their own homes thousands of miles away— and doing much of the same things as me to entertain themselves and continue their studies.  It was interesting to see how, despite the vast distances between us, the Coronavirus pandemic has engulfed the lives of everyone around the globe in a way unlike any other event I have experienced in my life.

To me, the most interesting topic discussed was the general reaction by each society to the lockdown orders and restrictions their respective governments put into place.  While here in the United States, some people are protesting over not being able to go back to work, the French students expressed people’s concern over the way this pandemic has shed light on the inequalities faced by minorities and impoverished people.  In Germany, proactivity by the government has prevented the economy from taking too hard of a hit.  As we theorized about the root of reactions to these events, the perspectives of the students from these countries provided a fascinating insight into the way different cultures and political systems play out in a state of crisis.