Die Corona-Pandemie in den USA

Die Corona-Pandemie wird mehr und mehr ein Teil unserer Gesellschaft und ist Thema Nummer 1 in den Medien und in Gesprächen in unserem Umfeld. Wir können alle bestätigen, dass der SARS-CoV-2-Virus unsere Lebensweise verändert und auch drastisch eingeschränkt hat. Durch die verordneten Maßnahmen wurde der soziale Kontakt zu anderen Haushalten erschwert und auch die temporäre Schließung von allen uns bekannten Einrichtungen stellte uns vor zuvor nie denkbare Herausforderungen. Doch nicht nur in unserem Land gab es diese sehr einschneidenden Entwicklungen. Auch in anderen Ländern, wie zum Beispiel in den Vereinigten Staaten, veränderte sich das alltägliche Leben.

Dies wird nicht zuletzt in den Tagen vor den US-Wahlen erneut deutlich. Der  umstrittene Umgang der Trump-Regierung mit der Corona-Pandemie war und ist eines der zentralen Themen im derzeitigen Wahlkampf und könnte laut der Meinung vieler Experten einen entscheidenden Einfluss darauf nehmen, wer für die kommenden vier Jahre in das Amt des US-Präsidenten gewählt wird.

Durch meine Teilnahme am Amerika-Austausch 2018 konnte ich einige Aspekte des amerikanischen „Lifestyles“ kennenlernen und habe bis jetzt noch engen Kontakt zu meiner Austauschschülerin Maria. Sie ist 18 Jahre alt und stammt aus Wauwatosa, Wisconsin.

Maria war bereit ein Interview zu ihrer persönlichen Einschätzung der Maßnahmen gegen und Folgen der Pandemie in der USA zu geben. Im Folgenden könnt ihr meine Fragen und die jeweiligen Antworten von Maria lesen.

 

How and when did you find out about Corona?

I found out about corona through my friends, they were joking about it during lunch one time back when it was just in China.

 

What has changed for you since the announcement of Corona and its consequences?

Pretty much everything is changed now that corona has happened, everything is closed, masks everywhere and I stopped doing a lot of activities that are pretty much impossible to do as of right now.

 

What did the corona measures look like in the USA and how was this implemented in Wisconsin?

So it took a really long time to implement any kind of measures. Back in March Wisconsin was shut down but then people got mad and protested and so then they re-opened in case it’s just kept getting worse and so they had to put a little bit of restrictions.

 

Were you satisfied with the measures that were taken?

No I really think that we should’ve had more restrictions much much earlier and I think if everyone would’ve listen to the original shut down then this would’ve been solved a lot more efficiently. We still are getting more and more cases every day there hasn’t been a day that was a drop in cases it’s been climbing every single day.

 

What did you like and what would you have wished for?

At the the time I didn’t like the original shut down but looking back I think it was probably the best route to go and if people would’ve listened and actually stayed in their house for those few weeks then it would’ve been solved a lot faster.

 

When you see the measures from the other countries, do you think they are better or do you think the methods of the US government are better?

I liked how other countries are a lot more strict about their mask policies as well as their shut down policies. I also appreciate how people took it a lot more seriously in the general population. Here in America no one is taking it seriously as they should and it’s resulting in a lot more risk.

 

What was life like for you during Corona and what has changed about it so far?

When it first shut down the state it was pretty hard for me because it was my last year of high school and so all of the things that I’ve been looking up to my entire high school career were cancelled but I’ve come to terms with it a bit better now. I’m going to classes in person for college right now and my classes are just smaller and we have to wear masks but I feel like I’m still getting the same experience.

 

What are you missing the most at the moment that was completely normal for you before?

I really miss being able to hang out in public areas without feeling nervous about how many people are there. I also miss being able to do the activities that I would normally do during this time that are almost impossible to do nowadays.

 

What do you wish for in the near future?  (With regard to Corona)

I’m hoping that there is a vaccination that comes out that people will take or even a cure that will help reduce the amount of deaths from this disease. I also hope that people just get tired of the constant nagging of wearing a mask and quarantining that they’re just like oh I guess we’ll just do it to get it over with or maybe people just listening in general.