CULTURE IMPACTS COVID RESPONSE

The Coronavirus infestation is peaking. As of January 26 the country has encountered more than 25 million cases, and suffered close to 425 thousand fatalities. Every statistic more depressing than the next. In some circles, the tendencv has been to blame former president Donald Trump's administration's grossly inadequate response to the developing crisis. There is no argument that the administration failed to manage the ever intensifying pandemic from day one. Even though we were repeatedly promised that the end was around the corner, with only 4% of the world's population, we ended up with 25% of the world's deaths. This statistic in itself should make us question why this is. It couldn't all be Trump. Multiple statistical analyses indicate that, compared to most developed countries, we are grossly under performing. Bloomberg's "Covid Resilliance Ranking," which scores the 53 largest economies on their success containing the virus with the least amount of socio-economic disruption, ranks the U.S. number 37 - well behind New Zealand, Taiwan, Australia, Japan, South Korea , China and others. The Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity, a Texas based think tank, on its "World Index of Healthcare Innovation," which measures Covid-19 fatalities per million residents, places us 27 out of 31. The only countries lagging behind us are Spain, Italy, the U.K., and Belgium. And Foreign Policy Magazine ranks us among the six worst performing countries in the world on its "Covid-19 Global Response Index," along with Turkey, Iran, Mexico and Indonesia. The assumption is that, even though some strategies are being applied more or less emphatically, most countries communicate similar protocols containing social distancing, masks, and other hygiene practices. The difference is that these protocols are more fully embraced and complied with in some countries than in others. That difference appears to be cultural based. According to an article published in the "Harvard Political Review," "The Importance of Culture in Societal Responses to Covid-19," (Oct. 14, 2020), suggests that cultural attitudes and relationships definitely impacts a country's response to and outlook on the pandemic. Their research concludes that countries with a generally "collectivist framework" show a faster, more effective response, as their citizens are more likely to comply with social distancing and hygiene practices that help reduce the spread, while individualist countries respond much less successfully. This contrast between individualistic cultures like the U.S., collective attitudes found in China, South Korea, or Japan, or some mix of those forms as in Canada and France, could well be at the root of these significantly divergent outcomes. It is worth mentioning that U.S. national media has long pointed at our highly individualistic culture as the primary reason behind us having the most Covid-19 cases in the world. In countries where the population places a higher emphasis on group welfare, we generally see widespread compliance with nationally announced public health measures. People wear masks whenever they feel sick at any time, Covid or not. They also trust their government and follow directions. But in countries where cultural traits are more individualistic, focused on personal freedom, and where attitudes toward government control are more skeptical, as in the U.S., we have seen pockets of intense resistance to recommended guidelines, like wearing masks, physical distancing and the temporary closure of businesses. However, recognizing why we may be lagging the world in our effective response to this pandemic is little more than understanding the underlying problem of why we are where we are. It still poses the question what to do about this. I recently came across a thought provoking opinion piece that tends to address this issue in plain language. I really have no idea who wrote this, but I consider it something worthwhile communicating. They are not my words, but they definitely reflect my sentiment: "WELCOME TO THE FREEDOM CAFE" "We trust you to make your own choices if you want to wear a face mask. And, in the spirit of individual liberty, we allow our staff to make their own choices about the safety procedures they prefer to follow as they prepare and serve your food. We encourage employees to wash their hands after using the bathroom, but understand that some people maybe allergic to certain soaps or simply prefer not to wash their hands. It is not our place to tell them what to do. We understand that you may be used to chicken that has been cooked to 165 degrees. We do have to respect that some of our cooks may have seen a meme or a You Tube video saying that 100 degrees is sufficient, and we do not want to encroach on their beliefs. Some of our cooks may prefer to use the same utensils for multiple ingredients including ingredients some customers are allergic to. That's a cook's right to do so. Some servers may wish to touch your food as they serve it. There is no reason that a healthy person with clean hands can't touch your food. We will take their word for it that they are healthy and clean. Water temperature and detergent are highly personal choices and we allow our dish washing team to decide how they'd prefer to wash the silverware you will put in your mouth. Some of you may get sick, but almost everyone survives food poisoning. We think you'll agree that is a small price to pay for the sweet freedom of not ever being told what to do - and especially for the silly reason of keeping strangers healthy." Does anyone argue with public health departments establishing requirements for food handling safety? Does anyone complain that such requirements are an infringement on individual liberties? Perhaps we should learn to distinguish between individual liberties and social responsibilities. Theo Wierdsma