So white-collar workers in India adapted OK to working from home, ordering takeout. People got four hours' notice of being told not to leave their homes. It was, in fact, the biggest coronavirus lockdown in the world. The onset of the pandemic in India, though, was delayed in part because of a very early, very strict lockdown. India crossed the 6 million mark in terms of total confirmed cases. So back then, it was very much seen as a foreigner's disease. Actually one of the early clusters in India was traced to a group of Italian tourists. I mean, what why has COVID hit months later than elsewhere?įRAYER: India actually did have COVID cases way back in March, but it was mostly foreign tourists. I mean, we think about India right now - I mean, that country is reporting more new daily cases than anywhere else in the world. GREENE: Well, Lauren, let me turn to you. And when Italy lifted the lockdown and reopened, it did so very, very gradually. But Italians overwhelmingly went along and toughed it out for two months. Now, Italy was then the first country to introduce a nationwide lockdown, and it imposed some of the toughest restrictions. That's how, in a way, the virus spread so quickly among the elderly and it took such a high toll on Italy's large aging population. And in order to make room in hospitals and ICU units, patients with other ailments were transferred to nursing homes, but they weren't tested first for COVID-19. They didn't have the necessary protective gear. Doctors and nurses, they were unprepared for COVID-19. But those were misdiagnosed as severe cases of the flu. But it's clear that COVID-19 had been circulating under the radar for several weeks before that. And the first recognized case was in late February. POGGIOLI: Well, you know, it was the first country outside of Asia to be hit by the virus. But it sounds like Italians, you know, did not exactly react the same way people in South Korea were reacting. I mean, this is where we saw cases, you know, weeks after South Korea. GREENE: Well, Sylvia, let's turn to Italy. So I think the cultural factors are there, and I think they matter. For example, in Japan, people talk about a concept called (non-English language spoken) which means that you try to control yourself and restrain yourself for other people's sake. So some people say that there are reasons for this. And they basically just requested people to stay at home, and they did. In China's case, the lockdown was very strict. And at the end of the day, or at least at this time, all three of these countries are doing a lot better than Western countries and for different reasons. And from there, it spread on to Japan and South Korea. But after that, through a very strict lockdown, they managed to flatten their curve and get infections way down. At first, though, it did quash the message and punish the messengers, the doctors who first warned people about it. But, I mean, if we remember, China actually mobilized pretty quickly to protect its own people, right? Of course, we've heard the Trump administration blame China for the spread of the virus around the world. I mean, the virus first appeared in East Asia in Hubei Province, China. GREENE: Anthony, I guess I'd love to start with you. LAUREN FRAYER, BYLINE: Thanks for having us. We have three NPR correspondents with us to talk about this - Anthony Kuhn from Seoul, South Korea, Sylvia Poggioli in Rome and Lauren Frayer, who covers India. Well, let's talk about what lessons have been learned from different parts of the world.
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