Left With No Other Option

Covid-19 has been with us for over a year and a half now. We’ve been through lockdowns, masking, remote work, video conference calls, closed restaurants, and empty sports stadiums. The pandemic has been an event we’ve all experienced, whether you’re a child navigating online schooling, or a waitress out of a job, everyone has seen some impact from the fast spread of the Coronavirus.

The United States has reacted in its own measure to the virus—with some states issuing masking mandates while others only encourage. Pre-vaccine, we endured the “15 days to slow the spread” initiative, with hopes that life would return to normal after a two-week lockdown. A year and a half on, it seems the change derived from Covid-19 will be everlasting. Many who are able to remain in remote work programs hail the flexibility that has been afforded to them. Even still, some believe the necessity of situational masking will continue indefinitely.

While the United States has been handling the pandemic on its own terms, other countries have been doing the same—in some cases using implements far different than what has been encouraged or mandated in the U.S.

One country of particular interest is Pakistan.

The Pakistan Response

I spoke with Anam, a citizen living in Lahore, Pakistan, who provided detailed insight on how the Pakistan government has handled the pandemic. Anam is an e-learning social studies teacher who records lectures for Pakistani students and uploads them to YouTube, along with a handful of other teachers. Their project seeks to give students who are not able to attend school due to lockdowns the ability to educate themselves on their own time throughout the pandemic.

Anam explained many of the tactics Pakistan is using to keep the virus under control, starting with their use of continued lockdowns. On weekdays at 8:00PM, stores, theaters, schools, universities, restaurants, and other public services close. Saturdays and Sundays are in complete lockdown. In tandem with the lockdown, the citizens are required to wear masks wherever they go.

Vaccination certificates are also checked frequently in Pakistan. Anam detailed how your vaccination card may be checked while on the road, at a gas station, and at your place of employment. At the time I spoke to Anam, she indicated that very day the government had decided to reopen the markets on Saturdays. As for schooling, they follow a one week on, one week off schedule.

Anam describes how Pakistan doesn’t have the option for a complete lockdown, citing poverty, depression, anxiety, and unemployment as the result of such measures. Under the circumstances of a complete lockdown, the Pakistani government has failed to generate enough income to disseminate stimulus packages, similar to what the United States has done in the past. Because of this, the economy of Pakistan is required to remain at least partially open, in order to sustain economical functioning.

“Your salary will not be processed if you are not completely vaccinated.”
— Anam during the Bedletter podcast

Vaccination in Pakistan has become a requirement in order to participate in public enterprise at almost any capacity. One method the government uses to encourage vaccination is by holding employee wages and salaries until proof of vaccination status is shown. Additionally, warnings are occasionally issued stating that failure to get vaccinated will result in a citizen’s mobile SIM card being blocked. Anam went on to state that due to these measures, a majority of people are getting vaccinated.

Literacy rates in Pakistan hover at around 59% currently. Because of this, Anam says that many people become afraid of rumors claiming that vaccinations may cause infertility or even death after two years. A large portion of the population don’t have the ability to research and read information on their own about how the vaccination may help them or what the factual risks are. However, when their government held salaries and communication abilities as a consequence for non-vaccination, many citizens underwent the procedure.

“We had no other option, other than getting vaccinated. People were left with no other option.”
— Anam during the Bedletter podcast

Initially, during the spread of Covid-19, the hospital system in Pakistan crashed, according to Anam. However, with the advent of these new measures to promote and encourage vaccination, the health care system seems to be regaining strength. As Anam states, now that there is acute awareness of the virus, those who test positive typically undergo a 14-day quarantine in their home. Similar to what we see in most parts of the world, many cases only result in hospitalization if the illness takes an intensely rough turn.

As some markets and public spaces begin to reopen for limited times, showing proof of vaccinations has become a common action. In many cases, managers of restaurants require customers to display their vaccine certificate before entering. If you don’t have access to your vaccine card, Pakistan has a unique system where patrons will send a text to a specified number, and will receive an SMS back proving their vaccination status. This text message is then shown to the restaurant manager in order to gain entry into the establishment.

While the text messaging tactic is primarily used for restaurant goers, the police perform random stops and checks on civilians for vaccine passports as well. Anam details that if the police find that you haven’t been vaccinated, “They will fine you in one way or another.” This may come in the form of them blocking your SIM card, transporting you to a nearby facility for vaccination, or you may be held until a family member arrives to transport you. In order to avoid the mounting hassle, most individuals are opting to get vaccinated.

Education Experience

Anam explains how she agrees with all the measures her government is taking to attempt to control the fast spread of the Coronavirus. However, she does find it incredibly difficult to find time to get to the grocery store, or do anything outside of her home. Her current schedule has her working from 9:00AM until 6:00PM, and with stores closing at 8:00PM, not much time is left for her to accomplish any errands that may need doing, such as socializing, shopping, or outside relaxation. The hope is that with the apparent loosening of lockdowns, people will be more able to move through the markets more easily and at more varied hours.

As restricted living in Pakistan continues, so too does an increase in crime, depression, and anxiety. Specifically, Anam explains how theft has increased due to the rise of unemployment throughout the pandemic. Many citizens who are extremely qualified for higher level work are finding it difficult to acquire jobs because employer financial difficulties.

One area that has seen particular upward growth has been the very work that Anam does—e-learning, or online learning. Due to schools being shut down, or running off alternating week calendars, the demand for video material as dramatically increased in Pakistan. Anam spends long days recording content for a YouTube channel that compiles various lessons across a wide range of topics. Their goal is to upload as much material as possible so the children in lockdown still have something productive to spend their time on. While the content being produced is receiving positive viewership, they have encountered the issue of only being able to reach those with adequate internet connections and access to smartphones or computers—making it difficult for those with a lower social economic status to participate.

The inverse of online teaching means that many teachers in the brick-and-mortar setting have lost their jobs. For many, it’s difficult to stand alone in front of a camera and speak to a pretend audience—it takes a higher level of confidence to do so, as Anam states. So while many educators go jobless, new teachers enter the space using the functions of e-learning. Anam indicated that she was selected for the online learning position due to her confidence as well as her English ability and appearance.

Long-Term Impact

Pakistan is seeing higher rates of divorce, depression, anxiety, and unrest. A major factor contributing to this is the rising unemployment rates. When civilians don’t, or can’t, have the capability to make money or work in the profession for which they trained, they be become idle, and as Anam explains, they slip into depression. In some cases, this can even be accompanied by domestic abuse.

A cycle of difficulty emerges, wherein prices for general goods, such as gasoline, rise higher than what the average Pakistani individual is able to pay. Fees for school remain, and while other prices increase, survival needs must be met prior to forking out money for education. Parents are forced to find work, whatever the pay, leaving little time to tend for, or homeschool, children, leading to discontent, unadjusted children and adults.

A major road bump for Pakistan citizens and those who are visiting from out-of-country lies in their travel capabilities. In some cases, Pakistanis who have left the country have found it nearly impossible to return to their home country, with some even finding their citizenship placed in check due to the length of their stay. On the flip side, some who have visited Pakistan during this time have found it impossible to get out under the weight of such intense restrictions, as Anam tells.

With Afghanistan as a next-door-neighbor, it may become inevitable that Pakistan might be forced to take in refugees in the future. Currently, Anam says the country hasn’t taken in hardly any refugees from the evacuation crisis that began last month, as the United States and other allied nations hastily withdrew forces, resulting in a Taliban takeover of the Afghan capitol of Kabul. The future of refugees and their potential placement in Pakistan remains hazy.

Pakistan’s reaction to the pandemic provides an interesting look into governmental restriction and the enforcement of vaccination mandates. Just as nearly every country in the world is suffering to one degree or another due to Covid-19, Pakistan is no different. Their response and the ensuing results are varied from what we see in America, Australia, or various countries in Europe—but the decision to enact policy, enforce mandates, regulate school openings, and participate in lockdowns is carried out in a way unto it’s own.

A huge thank you to Anam for taking the time to share this information in a candid remote video interview. Understanding the manner in which the world is combating the Coronavirus is invaluable, assisting to inform the decisions many world leaders have on their plates today. The voices and input from every-day people who are actually living through the pandemic deserve to be heard, and Anam’s piece provides thoughtful insight.

Thanks, Anam.

Feature photo by Braňo