We Must Keep Them Alive

By Juhoon Lee Senior Staff Reporter

"Every day is war. Thousands arrive and hundreds die under my care. I have been separated from my family and my home for months. We are running out of beds, ventilators, and patience. I’ve even contracted the disease but after the quarantine, I was right back on my feet. I heard that one of the nurses at our neighbouring hospital wasn’t so lucky. I tend to the new patients through half-eaten lunches and mask-shaped imprints on my skin. It’s not just nurses and doctors. My colleagues, a diverse network of physicians, administrators, drivers, EMTs, and assistants, all work resolutely to keep the boat afloat. The last thing we need is protests that take away our precious manpower. We appreciate the thanks; but what we need is action."

Though regarded as highly desirable professions in many cultures, healthcare workers have never had glorious or easy jobs. After years of arduous and expensive training, they are put on the frontlines of the most threatening diseases.

While the words “healthcare worker” typically conjure up images of doctors in coats and nurses in uniform, the vast majority of medical staff do not directly perform diagnosis or surgery. In fact, other than the top-paying positions such as general practitioners, physicians, and surgeons, the rest make surprisingly low amounts of money. In the US specifically, the average hospital staff member makes 37 USD per hour, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lower ends of the spectrum are particularly jarring in comparison to the nearly 200,000 USD salary of the highest-paying jobs: nursing assistants earn around 31,000 USD and emergency medical technicians and paramedics are paid around 38,000 USD.

In already strenuous and demanding conditions in hospitals, COVID-19 is pushing medical staff all over the world to an unprecedented limit. The grueling hours changed to even stricter shift policies, with many hospitals placing bans on nonessential leave. The nature of the virus has made the working conditions particularly hard; according to one Italian doctor, it takes an average of 40-50 minutes to get dressed and more than 60 minutes for decontamination during a seven-hour shift. In Ecuador, morgues have run out of space, and in countries like Spain and the US, the lack of equipment has been the biggest roadblock to treatment.

With any epidemic or an outbreak, the ones hit the hardest are the medical professionals — the 2014 Ebola outbreak resulted in nearly 8% mortality rate for doctors and nurses in Liberia. According to the Center for Disease Control, amongst the 12 US states with the most complete statistics on the characteristics of the COVID-19 patients, 11% have been occupational cases from medical staff. More than 1,000 healthcare workers from 64 countries have passed away from conditions resulting from excessive stress or exposure to the virus. Some as young as 20 have died as the hospitals recruited young healthcare workers to handle the brunt of the most severe situations. Particular countries have been hit especially hard, such as Italy, Spain, Iran, UK, and the US. South America is also facing a sudden rise in cases, and is unprepared to be the next hot spot of the virus.

Even away from work, healthcare workers do not get to escape. Due to repeated and constant exposure, many staff members stay away from their families, some even sleeping in tents and cars outside of their homes. And the worst of all, the patients are aggravating the situation, whether by spitting in the workers’ faces or refusing to follow orders. Adding fuel to the flame, the non-patients have been recklessly ignoring self-isolation orders from the government and in the US, actively protesting in front of nurses, forcing them to divert their precious resources to people screaming in their faces because they are not allowed to leave the safety of their home. They are constantly affected and surrounded by the epidemic that has no end in sight.

Social media platforms have been flooded with videos cheering the staff on, calling them heroes. But hailing them as heroes demands certain sacrifice from the overworked, underpaid, and unrewarded people. Donating supplies and food to local hospitals, or money to supporting organizations are a good start to taking action. While it is the healthcare workers’ job to save our lives, it is our responsibility to keep their lives intact.


Disability and Discrimination

By Ada Carpenter Editor-in-Chief

"If I catch the virus, I’m going to die. That’s the fear that has taken up a permanent residence at the back of my mind. So I’ve been social distancing long before any formal stay-at-home orders were announced, taking extra care to sanitize everything, and spending my days trying not to go to hospital. But the problem is, I can’t fully isolate myself; I need assistance in my everyday life — assistance from people who, somewhere down the chain of connections, put me at risk of catching COVID-19. And I know that once I catch it, it’ll be worse for me, and accessing treatment will be harder. In my place, wouldn’t you be scared too?"

The strain on healthcare resources around the world has been severe and ongoing. Shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) for at-risk groups are a major concern in the worst-affected nations, and a lack of human resources means that the healthcare workforce has been diverted from regular treatments to emergency coronavirus care in many hospitals. The sudden halting of services and the subsequent erratic and panicked response from authorities have been particularly significant for those with disabilities and chronic illnesses. 

It is estimated that 15% of the world’s population — roughly one billion people — live with some sort of disability. This includes physical and learning disabilities, which often mean people need additional assistance in everyday tasks and have an increased reliance on social and healthcare services. Disabled people who have conditions that weaken the immune system are also more likely to fall into the high-risk category for the coronavirus. In America, it is estimated that up to 60% of the population have a chronic health condition that could make COVID-19 symptoms more severe. Simultaneously, however, these people are less able to effectively isolate themselves; visits from home health aides provide a direct transmission channel, and necessary hospital appointments have become fraught with danger. Those in group care settings such as nursing homes are particularly at risk, where overworked and under-resourced staff can do little to avoid outbreaks, having to care for quarantined patients as well as non-infected residents. Some governments have created emergency policies for the vulnerable, with special provisional measures such as priority home food deliveries. But these are, in many cases, very limited; for example, in the UK, certain categories of disability have been excluded from services, meaning many immunocompromised people are forced to risk infection in order to simply obtain food. 

The reallocation of resources in hospitals is also a significant issue. In  many countries, services and treatments deemed to be non-essential have been greatly reduced or halted, including procedures and surgeries relating to pregnancy, cancer, and other chronic illnesses. While COVID-19 has a very clear short-term risk, the long-term impacts of the lack of available care for other conditions will undoubtedly show an indirect rise in mortality rates in the months to come. Although the pandemic situation is a health emergency at an unprecedented scale, the fact that the provision of care in one sector must be compromised to sustain another demonstrates the lack of adequate planning and resources in nearly every nation. 

The failure to provide needed care for disabled and at-risk groups is a reflection of inequality in societal values. Those who are now being told, “Sorry, your treatment has been postponed indefinitely,” instead receive the message that their lives hold less worth — an implicit bias also visible in the allocation of resources for COVID-19 patients. Analysis of US state policies by the Centre for Public Integrity in April found that at least 25 have rationing guidelines in place that reserve ventilators for the most “deserving” patients, discriminating against those with existing health conditions and even other developmental disabilities. Systemic discrimination against disabled people in healthcare has long been an issue, but the extreme situations caused by the coronavirus are worsening the impacts.

Outside hospitals too, COVID-19 precautions are taking a toll on the quality of life for people with additional needs. Adjusting to online classes and interactions as a result of social distancing or stay-at-home orders is particularly difficult for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, having secondary effects on their carers — normally family members. Deaf people who often rely on lip-reading to communicate, in addition to sign language, are becoming isolated with the proliferation of masks. And the fear and stress of being “high-risk” compounds mental health concerns for those with existing conditions. 

As nations scramble to cope with this pandemic, the needs of people with disabilities have largely been overlooked. Following the motto of the UN Convention on the Right of Persons with Disabilities, governments must consult disabled people through representative organizations and accommodate differing needs according to their recommendation: “Nothing about us, without us”.


The Downfall of Tourism

By Jehyuk Cho Junior Staff Reporter

"I’ve been raising and training tourism elephants ever since I was a teenager. I teach young elephants how to do tricks and take tourists for a ride on their backs. Some say it’s unethical, but it makes pretty good money. Elephant tourism is a big thing in Thailand already anyways. I have sent my kids to school from the money I earned from these elephants and helped my family put food on the table. But things have changed now. Coronavirus is on the news frequently and it appears to be impacting everyone across the world. Although Thailand seems to be doing pretty well during this virus pandemic, I saw that America, China, and many European countries are greatly suffering from the virus. That makes me more worried than anything because most of my tourists are from those countries. Other elephant owners are either letting go of their animals to the wild or are starving them because they have no money to buy their food. I’m running low on money, and it doesn’t seem like I will be getting any tourists any time soon. Even if I let go of these elephants, what would I do? How will I feed my family?"

COVID-19 has greatly impacted various sectors of the global economy, and tourism is one of the most impacted. Some nations such as Argentina and Bermuda are voluntarily closing their borders, while others like Thailand are only allowing essential diplomats and workers to enter. According to the UN World Tourism Organization, traveling to different countries for the sole purpose of travelling is highly restricted, if not banned, in 96% of worldwide destinations. 

The restriction of physical movement has halted airline travel. The International Civil Aviation Organization has predicted an overall 32% to 59% reduction of seats offered by airlines, leading to approximately 238 to 418 billion USD loss of gross operating revenues. The International Air Transport Organization also forecasts a 48% decline of revenue passenger kilometers in 2020 compared to 2019. It is clear that the pandemic has significantly damaged the aviation industry. 

The impact is far worse upon close examination. Korean Air, South Korea’s biggest aviation company, is facing a liquidity crisis. More than 90% of its international flights have been canceled, and the corporation may face a cash shortage, since it still has to pay corporate bonds and fixed costs that are approximately 600 million USD. In order to prevent bankruptcy, Korean Air forced a six-month long partially paid leave on 70% of its workers. 

With no tourists, hotels have no guests to host. Smith Travel Group stated that global hotel occupation rates dropped 67.5% for the week of March 24 to 30 compared to the same week in 2019. The same group expects revenue per room to fall 50.6%, while an Oxford Economics study shows that 44% of hotel workers will likely lose their jobs. These statistics are far worse than those of the economic downturn that followed 9/11 and the 2008 recession. 

Local tourism industries are taking a hit too. Thailand, with roughly one-fifth of its GDP rooted in tourism, is expected to lose about 65% of tourists this year due to pandemic fears. Especially considering that nearly a quarter of total tourists in Thailand are Chinese, when China placed Wuhan under lockdown in January, tourism revenue in Thailand decreased noticeably. A Thai economic research center predicts that the Thai economy will suffer a 12 billion USD loss should the pandemic continue until September. 

Uniquely, the economic drop has also impacted animals — especially elephants —  in Thailand. Maetang Elephant Park, one of the major elephant parks in Thailand, reported a 90% decrease in tourists, which forced many elephant business owners to reduce employee hours, or sometimes even temporarily close down. There are more than 3,000 elephants in the park, and owners struggle to feed the giant creatures because they can devour up to 40 USD worth of food everyday, which is triple the minimum wage in Thailand. World Animal Protection claims that over 2,000 elephants are at risk of starvation due to the owners simply not having enough money. Lek Chailert, founder of the Save Elephant Foundation, states that these elephants will probably be sold to the zoo or be forced out on the streets to beg for food from humans if their owners cannot take care of them. 

This pandemic may potentially lead to an economic crisis of unprecedented scale. Global tourism, hand in hand with aviation, hospitality, and local tourism economies, is expected to be one of the major aftermaths of the virus scare. As nations across the world are easing their travel ban policies, hopefully the industry can be revived to sustain both tourism workers and animals.


New Realities of Studying Abroad

By Seowon Choi Junior Staff Reporter

"I am an international student from China studying in the US… virtually, that is. A month ago, I was kicked out of my university’s dorm and have since been sleeping on the couch in the living room of my friend’s apartment. The last two flights that I booked back to my home country got canceled and who knows whether my next one will be canceled too… I decided to stay in the US in the hope that I could move back to dorm, and to avoid having to wake up for 4 a.m. classes if I had gone home, but I am running out of money to cover living expenses. I am afraid that I have overstayed my welcome at my friend’s place — maybe I should have gone back earlier before the lockdown began…"

With cities and countries around the world undergoing lockdown and closing borders to specific regions, international students face the dilemma of remaining near their university or moving back to their home country. For example, in France, the international students who delayed flying back were forced to endure alone following lockdown orders. From March 17 to May 11, only essential outings such as grocery shopping were permitted, and exercise was limited to one hour per day in a maximum distance of one kilometer from home. A newly filled-out certificate (paper or digital) was required for every outing, with police authorities roaming the streets and checking these forms.

For students who might have lost their campus jobs or whose parents might now be unable to support them, the burden of living expenses and unpaid university fees leaves them in financial distress. While government funds in the form of emergency coronavirus student aid have been made available for domestic students, international students are often excluded from these grants. In the US, emergency federal funds of 6.2 billion USD were announced to be distributed to college students around the nation — but only those who are eligible for other federal aid, effectively excluding most international students..

The expiration of student visas is also a serious problem. Embassies and consular offices are now running with limited services and staff; it is uncertain as to how international students will manage to renew their visas for legal reentry for the next academic term. Some countries have closed borders or are limiting entry of foreigners to contain the virus situation, preventing aggravating the visa dilemma for international students. Starting June 1st, most foreigners (including students) who leave Korea will have their visas invalidated and will need to reapply for a new visa, unless special permission is obtained before leaving the country. 

On the other hand, those who decided to quickly return to their home country face different problems — risking being quarantined in an unfamiliar city, in a hotel with less-than-ideal conditions, and possibly even having to pay for their 14-day quarantine period. In Australia, people who returned from overseas were quarantined in a 5-star hotel — but even then, complaints were not uncommon, from poor air quality to barely edible food.

With the looming uncertainty of whether universities will offer in-person or online classes in the upcoming fall semester, international students further face the dilemma of whether to stay at home or to fly back to university — and if so, when. Although some universities are considering offering a mix of both online and in-person classes, others— like Cambridge University — have already declared that they will operate entirely online for not only the fall semester, but for the entire academic year. In Korea, the situation is even more ambiguous, with many universities not yet having reached a consensus on whether the current ongoing semester will remain online or not.

As international students often pay multiple times the tuition paid by domestic students, it is not surprising that they might hesitate to even register for the fall term and take a gap semester instead, due to the lack of the “full college experience” on campus and the questionable quality of education, in the case of continued remote learning in the fall.

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