In the face of crisis. now vs. past.

The COVID-19 is causing one of the most significant crises we have seen in American history. The role of culture certainly plays a vital role during this dire time. Since the COVID-19 crisis is a global pandemic, the cultural differences between countries and regions are shown in this pandemic.  

Growing up in Hong Kong, coronavirus is a familiar term to me since it was one of the most affected areas during the SARS outbreak in 2003 (Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus) I still remember my preschool was canceled due to the SARS outbreak. I had to stay home for months. History repeats itself, my school got canceled again due to coronavirus 17 years later. Different from last time, I witnessed how this new coronavirus developed over time and how it transform from an epidemic to a global pandemic.

Hong Kong People wearing masks during the SARS outbreak

Starting from early January, I have already seen numerous friends from Hong Kong sharing Hong Kong news articles saying how the COVID-19 could be as detrimental as SARS from 2003. People in Hong Kong learned a hard lesson from SARS and started to take serious precautions to prevent the virus. Hong Kong is also known for having a "tight and tense" social culture, which played an essential role in helping the city to contain the virus and demonstrated a great response to COVID-19. Both being metropolitan cities, New York City has a different drastic situation due to the various social cultures, government regulations, experiences in dealing with a pandemic situation.

Empty New York City streets due to COVID-19

The United States has a relatively loose social habit (have weak social norms and a high tolerance of deviant behavior) compare to countries like Japan and Singapore. This has caused the government a hard time instituting new rules to take preventive measures. Other than the social cultures, unclear government guidances also contribute to the severe outbreak in America. The conflicts among political parties, state governments, and federal government caused the slow response to COVID-19, and now America is already the area with the highest infection number. America is one of the strongest countries in science and medical fields with abundant resources and advance manufacturers. The United States is fully capable of dealing with this virus, but first, it should act like its name, united as one, like how it dealt with the WWII crisis. 

“Arsenal of Democracy,” this is the slogan used by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt during WWII to describe how efficient the United States was in utilizing its resources and providing essential support to the Allies during the WWII crisis. Citizens, nonprofits, and corporates need to take proactive actions in aiding the government to deal with the virus, and most importantly, strictly abide by the rules even when they sound unpleasant. 

American history has shown us we have the ability to deal with a collective threat and defeat our common enemy. Now is the time for Americans to come together once more and defeat this virus as one.