so i currently live in a different country. this country like every other country on the planet was in the same exact spot at the beginning of the covid crisis with the same exact information.
the govt here was decisive and quarantined earlier than the US. people accepted lockdown because it made too much sense. it’s not that there aren’t left, right and middle of the road parties or politics where i live. it’s just that politicians and people have too much common sense. which is also why they stayed in lockdown without complaining until the numbers were sufficient to finally reopen safely vs prematurely pulling the trigger.
because of this, we were able to reopen with less issues and trouble and so far no relapses. from the start, people continued to work from home that could. the economy will be impacted here just like every where else but i have a very strong feeling that it will come out of this much, much better than the US when all is said and done.
the fact that they have a stronger social network (much, much better comprehensive healthcare and unemployment) which truthfully was probably never intended for something like covid helped. people don’t panic if they know they won’t be out on the street in two months if the lose their job or have health care when something goes wrong. put another way, the people felt covered so no need to go nuts (or be manipulated by those in higher places that know they’re vulnerable).
people have already been enjoying summer here including me. i’ve been on vacation to some very idyllic places. no bitchin. no moanin. people are living well.
recently, people weren’t adhering enough to mask wearing guidelines on public transport so the govt issued 100% compliance on all pub transport. on the effective day enacted by the govt, people didn’t bitch and moan about their liberties. they just wore the masks literally at 100% compliance rate. there’s no specific penalty if you do NOT do it. but still no problems. nobody is complaining about lost freedom because they’re too busy having fun!
nobody knows where this is all going to go, but what people are doing here is simply getting on with their lives including work and play instead of fighting it. they practice the rules. they wear masks. life is good! no wasted hours on forums going down rabbit holes talking about covid consipiracies and whether we know more than experts.
the question i have is…
why is this STILL such a big deal for so many people and certain regions in the USA? i’m not fake news. i’m living proof that other countries are handling this well / better if not differently. isn’t it tiring? it looks and sounds really petty and silly.
the only last thing i’ll add is that while everyone is wasting so much energy on the covid conspiracy partisan stuff, everybody conveniently (isn’t it funny how that works!?) forgot that a lot of people had a hard time paying the rent recently after missing only 3 months of pay! perceived stalwarts like hertz that looked like titans couldn’t even stay afloat without 3 months business because they were leveraged to the hilt. we already had negative interest rates BEFORE covid and the stock market valuation bore no resemblance to reality BEFORE covid and is utterly skewed now and yet people are saying it is / was the “best economy ever”
yikes!!!
it’s a 1st world country. extremely high std of living. pm me if you like.