No country for face masks: Nordics brush off mouth covers
As most of the world either orders or recommends the use of face masks, with even US president Donald Trump seen wearing one, Nordic nations are the remaining holdouts. In…
VCRs, iPhones and face masks
Growing up, I spent the early and mid-90s in Beijing. The Beijing of that time was a lot grimier, a lot less shiny and just very different overall from the…
No gloves, no masks’: Romania medical workers fear for lives in virus fight
We don’t have gloves, masks, anything,” says one of the medical team at southeastern Romania’s Ramnicu Sarat hospital, one of those designated to treat COVID-19 patients. “Everything is done on…
US workers faced harrowing year on pandemic front lines
One year ago, workers across the United States learned they’d been divided into two categories: those who would work from home, and those who would have to keep showing up…
Faces of ill health
As a special report published by this newspaper a fortnight ago pointed out in painful detail, malnutrition and, as a consequence, stunting, wasting and associated health risks are amongst the…
Franco-German show of unity masks policy divide
When leaders need to go out of their way to show the world they are united, it is usually a sign that all is not well. Ruegen, a windswept island…
World’s reset button has been firmly pressed
The World, as we knew it, has changed. The global pandemic of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) is a major paradigm shift in all spheres of human activity – from economic…
Lockdown opens window to treat South Africa’s drug abusers
When South African graphic designer Jimi was expelled from a drug rehabilitation centre last month, his exasperated mother refused to let him back into the house. That night, the 25-year-old…
Lives versus livelihoods
The great dilemma for all governments in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic is how to balance lives versus livelihoods. This dilemma is particularly acute for countries such as Pakistan,…
Back to school? Officials move warily as challenges loom
Authorities worldwide face the formidable challenge of returning millions of children to classrooms shut due to the coronavirus outbreak, weighing the need to limit the educational damage against the risks…
