How the world is coping with coronavirus this week:
Nigeria
Nigerians are attempting to counter COVID-19 denialism with social media campaigns using hashtags such as #MyCOVID19NaijaStory and #COVIDStopswithMe. According to BBC Africa, many Nigerians believe that the coronavirus pandemic is a hoax, and these counter-narratives are designed to prove the pandemic is real and deadly — and encourage people to adopt good public health behaviors to mitigate its spread. (Global Voices)
Iran
While Iranian state television has said one person is dying from COVID-19 every seven minutes in the country, and warned of a lack of proper social distancing, experts have raised doubt over the accuracy of Iran’s official coronavirus toll—some suggest there could be twice as many cases as those confirmed by the health ministry, which says the country’s death toll is 17,405. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Bali
Many Balinese people lost their livelihoods when the island was closed to foreigners at the beginning of the pandemic—it contributes 50% of Indonesia’s income from tourism. Now, a growing number of Balinese are questioning whether they want to return to work in the tourism industry at all, and instead believe the island could be better off developing other sectors of its economy like agriculture instead. (Guardian)
Peru
915 women and girls have been reported missing in Peru since the country locked down on 16 Mar due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to a women’s rights official in the country. Because there is no national missing persons register, it’s unclear how many have been found. It’s thought some could be the victims of domestic violence or femicide. (Channel News Asia)
Greenland
The National Guard will launch 25 resupply missions to climate scientists working on Greenland in just three weeks of air time, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Usually the food, fuel and provisions would be delivered over a course of five months, but due to restrictions on travel, they’ll crunch all 25 resupply missions into under a month. To minimize the risk of transmitting COVID, National Guard pilots and crew will quarantine before the trip and undergo testing prior to departure and while in country. (Daily Gazette)
