Graham A. Harvey: Return to Sydney from Dominican Rep via US amidst Pandemic

Its been several months since my last blog. In my last blog which I published in February, I recounted my journey from Sydney AU back to Dominican Rep via Asia, Europe & Morocco. I had returned to my apartment in Sosua, Dom Rep on January 2, & other than a visit to Santiago in February for Carnival, I pretty much had stayed close to my place. Each morning I was getting my regular walk to the beautiful Sosua beach & in the afternoon, swimming in the fantastic pool at the Condominium.

I always keep an eye on world events, but especially when I am travelling.

And being a Chinese astrology tiger, I always have an interest in Chinese New Year. So, my attention was immediately drawn to China as the Covid outbreak emerged just as Chinese New Year was unfolding. Many people had already left the Wuhan area to visit family throughout China, but not so many got to travel overseas as the Chinese brought in quarantines & other controls to limit the spread. But some had travelled to other places especially in Asia and others on cruises.

As soon as I saw how the virus was beginning to spread into other parts of Asia, I was pretty sure that this would become an international problem. Staying in the Dominican Rep has always made me cautious of problems. As people often will say, the developing world is a great place to visit (beautiful nature, friendly people, affordable food & places to stay) but if a problem emerges there, things can quickly change from fun to challenging. This was something that I would have my own experience of in the months to come.

As I write this part- blog- part-article it is nearing the end of July & I am back in Sydney Australia.

In this writing, I will recount what I experienced & observed in Dom Rep, then I will talk a little about other countries particularly New Zealand & Australia. I believe by studying the differences between developed & developing (wealthier & better resourced vs less), we can see how different parts of the world have certain functional actions & others less so. And as we are witnessing with many developed countries, in certain regards, there are significant problems especially regarding a sense of community & responsibility.

Finally, I will talk a little bit about where I see things heading & some ideas that may be useful for the world as we deal with a situation never seen in most people’s lives.

Part 1: Dominican Rep & Lockdown

I continued to pay close attention to the situation developing in China & how it was spreading to other parts of the world. Being in a country where supplies of certain foods can be irregular at supermarkets at the best of times, and money machines can remain empty for several days, by late February, I had begun stocking up on extra provisions just in case. I did attend carnival in Santiago in early February. I had a certain sense of caution even at that point as I could see that most Dominicans were operating as usual with lots of interaction. Cases of the virus were beginning to enter the country but through February it seemed that any infected tourist arriving, was getting identified & isolated. But it was obvious to me especially with the early infectious period having no symptoms, that it would be just a matter of time until cases began to emerge in Dom Rep. I did think about leaving Dom Rep at the end of February, but at that point it was more of a vague thought. My original plan for 2020 had been to remain in Dom Rep until May & then either go over & spend summer in Europe or travel down to South America & visit Colombia, Peru & Brazil, places that I have long wished to explore. The last few years I have spent January to May in Dom Rep then travelled back to Sydney AU to teach from July to December, with a little travelling on the way. This year I had decided to stay overseas. Lots of North American & Europeans escape their harsh winters & come to Dom Rep from November until April, but during April, most leave as Dom Rep with its heat & humidity is quite a challenging place to stay from May until the end of October. I have done it a couple of times 2014 & 2016, and you do adapt to the heat, but my apartment gets quite a lot of sun so is not such a good place to be. South America really looked like a great plan. Part of my travel options that have happened in the last few years have been possible by visiting & staying in poorer countries & I am generally happiest in normal hotels & eating places visited by locals. I like to meet locals & it enables me to spend lots of time travelling affordably. Now as I look back on that plan & see the tragedy that has happened in South America especially Brazil, its strange to think how my plan had been to go & live there for a month or two.

Things started to change quickly in March. February had begun with the virus mainly in China but by March, Italy & Spain were in challenging times. Then things went bad in New York. The problems occurring in New York meant that many Dominicans who live there were affected too. The President of Dom Rep had communication with the NY governor. He learnt that many Dominicans were becoming seriously sick with kidney & liver problems. The idea seemed to be that Covid could not just affect older people especially those with underlying issues, but also caused a challenge to many African American & Hispanic people. I think this combined with WHO & UN working effectively with many poorer nations, got Dom Rep into action early. By mid-March just a couple of days before NZ began its lockdown, we in Dom Rep went into lockdown. Everyone was instructed to stay in their homes unless needing to do essential work or get food or medical assistance. As March moved into April facemasks became law. There seemed to be no end to the lockdown. It was always a situation of control, but not total control. Different nations & cultures do things differently. Dominican culture is a very social one, so staying in the house for a month or two was always going to be challenging for many. However, the elders are revered by most Dominicans. Many Dominicans have been raised by their grandmothers rather than their mothers, so at the beginning of the lockdown, Dominican families acted quickly & with determination to ensure that older sections of the population were isolated & protected. Family is very important in the culture. While there is extensive poverty in Dom Rep and corruption, the governments do have a certain commitment to the poor & from the beginning, extra funds & food supplies were made available to the neediest.

But getting the whole population to follow rules of social distancing was a challenge. It is difficult to say how many followed the guidelines & how many followed them 100%. But as the evening curfews began at the end of March, around 2000 people were being arrested most nights by the police for violation. And as far as I know, those arrested were not given masks to wear, and would be placed in crowded jails, held overnight & then released the next morning where they would presumably return to their families. At no point in Dominican media did I see any official questioning this practice, so while I watched from afar as NZ implemented its lockdown effectively, what could be seen in Dom Rep was a slow bleed. Far better than no lockdown or curfew of course. Without those actions, things would have gone awry in Dom Rep almost immediately. Elections that were supposed to happen in February had been deferred to March, the weekend before the lockdown began. Some of the initial breakouts of infection were connected to political organisations who had been interacting extensively. In April an Evangelical Christian gathered together with hundreds of others at Puerto Plata in a ceremony to ‘cleanse’ the country. The medical advisors demanded action & in the following weeks, the military ordered a total lockdown of the town. But why had the police not stopped the gathering, when the country was already in lockdown?

I stopped my morning walks in mid-March. I was feeling anxious as I saw many people acting as usual with no social distancing or masks. Once the lockdown began, the beaches were closed as too many Dominicans will usually gather at beaches & party. In May I decided I needed to exercise, so I began morning walks around the Sosua area. I kept my distance as best as I could, but I saw many people not wearing masks or social distancing. It made me fearful. One day I even saw a soldier who was supposed to be maintaining social distancing of queues outside the banks standing right next to another person talking & not wearing a face mask. I found this kind of thing incredible. The soldiers had been brought in to make sure the population was following the rules, and even they were not doing it!

The 2 months of lockdown had raised my anxiety issues combined with being in a country where information was not generally available. I watched as the NZ PM had daily video posts on facebook, while in Dom Rep there was a speech every 2 or 3 weeks by the president. Clearly lots of issues were not being followed up & it began to make me wonder how much the virus was really spreading. At this point Canadians & Americans had been able to return home with government repatriation flights, but for me being a Kiwi/Aussie, my nearest embassy was Mexico! I was alone & I knew it. How my life went was largely up to me. Dominican friends can be unreliable & lacking information, things just are not as organised or clear as in NZ/AU. I waited for a flight out. Plans emerged with my ex Raff, who was safely living back in Malta with his family. Maybe I would go there when Europe reopened its flights. But every fortnight would come along and Europe still did not see its situation as contained to open up flights. Eventually when it did at the beginning of July, Dom Rep was not considered a safe option so at this point continues to be off limits. I know a few Germans still trapped in Dom Rep trying to get back to Europe.

Part 2 Getting sick in a foreign country

And then I got sick. It was very hot by late May. First, I got a rash on my wrists. A few days later really bad diarrhoea. I thought it was Covid but it wasn’t. Being in Dom Rep meant I was trying to get help in a dysfunctional & disorganised place, where many people who were local had their own networks. I tried to find a local doctor & all their numbers were failing to work. I went to the hospital at Puerto Plata & as I was not seriously sick was instructed to return another day. And then a few days later I passed out. This happened 3 times over 3 weeks where I would go from feeling ok to major sweating & dizziness within 30 minutes with fainting & collapse. I ended up in hospital 3 times. Each time I would be placed on a drip. Eventually it was guessed that it was some kind of dehydration thing caused by stress & electrolyte loss causing a drop in blood pressure. Very scary in any situation but when you are in a country where lots of things are haphazard including communication & ambulances, that’s really scary. On my third release from hospital (Monday June 15) I talked with my Doctor about trying to get back to NZ/AU. I figured to get away from the heat & back to a place where I would feel safer was the solution & I was hearing rumours that some flights were leaving from the capital Santo Domingo. He supported my plan, gave me medication to reduce vertigo & stabilise digestion. By the end of that day JetBlue had guided me to use their app & I had flights booked for Friday to fly SDQ-JFK-LAX. The next flights to NZ/AU were not till the Sunday night so I would bunker down in a hotel near LAX for Friday & Saturday. My health situation felt so edgy in Dom Rep that I figured I would risk flying through the US with its infection rates getting worse by the day. Hopefully, if I was really careful & wore my mask & kept as much distance as I could, I would get back home ok, and worst case scenario was at least I would be back in NZ or AU where there is a decent free health care system & where people would all speak English & get why I had been freaking out!! I organised my ESTA visa for transit through the US. I read nothing about foreigners being refused entry. It seemed that the US was still open, although it still had bans on China & Europe which seemed so outdated as at that stage the US was well out in front on infections.

That week I did my best to stay cool. In my apartment, I kept the air con on and got electrolyte drinks. I did my best to maintain good digestion. On the Wednesday I caught a bus down to the capital. I had a hotel booked where they promised there was good air conditioning. I stayed there Wednesday & Thursday night. On Thursday morning I went out very early to buy food and stayed in my room scared of being out in the heat, just in case. I did not sleep Thursday night as I was afraid I might not wake up for my flight! I had to get this flight!! The receptionist gave me a wake-up call, but when traveling & anxious, self-reliance becomes number one. The taxi driver was there on time too & not only that, he gave me a compression mask which I could fit over the surgical mask. I was one of the first in the queue at the airport & we waited between half an hour & an hour for the check in to open. Most of the travellers were Dominicans with US residency. I had my tickets & ESTA so expected no issue, but there was! I had to wait for half an hour to an hour as JetBlue staff communicated with US immigration to get approval for me to fly. But eventually it was granted. By the time I got my boarding pass, check in was well & truly empty. But as icing on the cake, the staff member gave me emergency row with more leg room & no other passengers! I met a Canadian while waiting to board & even for his 2-hour transit to go onto Canada he had to go through lots of organisation, but he had the Canadian system which had helped organise it. It was his 3^rd booking to get home. On this journey I would overhear one person after another recounting all the flights that they had booked that got cancelled. Not only had the US allowed me to transit, but they allowed me to remain in their country for 2 nights. I will always be grateful.

Part 3: Homeward Bound!

As the plane took off out of Santo Domingo, as much as I love Dom Rep, I felt a huge relief. The pandemic was worse in the US, but I knew the temperature would be cooler. The flight to JFK was about 3 hours. The thing that was obvious throughout the journey from Dom Rep to Australia was how airports were all so empty. I had Dominican Peso to change. No change system operating at SDQ airport or JFK or LAX on that Friday. Eventually on the Sunday night I found a place in LAX right close to where the beautiful Air New Zealand plane was sitting waiting to fly us home 😊

I spent Friday night Saturday & Sunday in my hotel room, with short visits to food places nearby. Most places had rules of no one entering without facemask, pay for food, collect food then leave. This helped me feel secure. The most daring & unnecessary thing I did in LA was to visit a dollar tree store for a few bargains & mementos to return home with. The highlight of that store visit was talking with an African American woman who was my cashier. We had a lovely exchange about how crazy things were in the US. BLM actions were on the upsurge understandably with such terrible violence by some police. But the problem with any gatherings during a pandemic is the risk of virus spread especially to vulnerable communities. Another highlight of being in LA & not really going anywhere but the food stores, was watching PBS. Most US tv is a test to watch but PBS was screening “African Americans: Many rivers to cross” on a loop all weekend. I think I watched the whole series. A magnificent series tracing the story from slavery to Obama.

My final challenge to getting home came on the Sunday afternoon. The flight was leaving just before 9pm & I headed to the office about 5pm hoping they could help me locate a taxi. But it was Sunday and Father’s Day & no taxi could be located. In the end I started walking. It was about 5 km to the airport. LA is so big & spread out. If you have a car then you are set, but without, not an easy situation. I had my bags too! I must have walked 2-3 km. After a while, I stopped looking back hoping for a taxi. My Kiwi endurance & determination had kicked in. I was not going to be defeated at the 11^th hour. I thought the distance was comparable to a walk my Dad used to do walking home from work. Bags or no bags I was going to get to that flight even if I had to walk. And then an African American guy walking past me called out are you walking all the way to the airport? To which I explained I could not find a taxi. He took me into his workplace & got a fellow employee to drive me there. I was so grateful.

At the airport, I located the Air NZ counter which had very few passengers, maybe 5 people. I showed them my AU citizenship as I was traveling on my NZ passport but planned to continue on to Sydney. They called through to AU immigration so that in Auckland, there would be no need for any further discussion. At that point NZ had hotel quarantine, but I did not realise AU was the same. But I had organised a place to rent in Sydney, I always prefer winters in Sydney & at that point I was thinking I might do teaching work in Sydney. The flight from LA to Auckland was fine. Only one hiccup was a passenger who sat & slept in the row in front of me not wearing a face mask the whole journey. I kept my compression mask on most of the time.

Arriving in Auckland was such a relief. To be back in the home nations was so fantastic. Safe & protected. A wait of a few hours & then the flight on to Sydney which was even more empty than the one from LA. I had not slept much so was pretty wrecked. Arriving in Sydney as we touched down I just began to cry. The journey was over. I had got back.

Once in Sydney airport, I learnt that we would all be going to a quarantine hotel. It turned out to be the swanky Radisson Blu. There were daily calls to check on my health & wellbeing. I felt so well looked after. Food was left at the door. Sometimes I got a bit hungry. But the room was beautiful. Only one issue was that I never got to see the sun & sunlight is the main way to adapt to a new time zone. When the 2 weeks quarantine ended, I spent my first free day sitting for 2 hours in Hyde Park bathing in the warmth of the sun & drinking a coffee.

For me getting back to a country where I felt safe & secure was such a relief. If they had put me in a pig sty, I would have coped! But to be in a lovely hotel room with beautiful shower, bath, wonderful big tv with lots of channels, good internet, nice food, complimentary tea, coffee, water to drink straight from the tap 😊 All these things were wonderful. I was the perfect quarantine guest. They would receive no complaints from me. Total gratitude to be safe & taken care of. Medical personnel checking on me every day & mental health workers all a phone call away. I was able to talk about all sorts of issues with them. My anxieties relate to childhood issues as they often do for so many. To feel it is good & ok to talk about things is a huge relief. Normally such issues I have kept a handle on, but as I am reading, the fear that has come up in 2020 for many people has made things challenging & testing.

6 days into my quarantine I developed a bit of a cough but no other symptoms. I told health workers on the phone & within 2 hours I was being tested. I got the negative result the following day which I did expect as I had been very careful through my whole journey, but you never know! I think I was using mouth gargle too much so I pulled back on that! I was tested again a few days before the quarantine ended as well. Even though I had come from Dom Rep where virus was growing & travelled through US, I was VERY careful.

Part 4: The situation now & Issues to address or develop

I have spent the last 3 weeks settling in to my room where I am renting in Paddington in Sydney. The first week I bought lots of food & anything else I need. Including a bicycle so that I can exercise without going to a gym. I have started doing a route around Centennial Park that is nearly 10km. Lots of stuff was in storage, so I got all that back & have been setting up my room, a work in progress. Hotel quarantine is now being charged for so I was lucky on that. And limited numbers can return to AU & NZ per day as well, so I was lucky to travel when I did.

I took a look last night at airfares from Dom Rep to LAX & where as I paid a huge sum for those two flights, the flights are now cheaper than ever before. But to get from LAX back to Sydney is now even more expensive and that’s with a 51-hour flight via Tokyo, Singapore, Adelaide! And of course, you have to deal with the limited number of people being allowed back into AU per day. But LAX to Auckland with Air New Zealand remains constant, but I think NZ is also trying to limit the number of Kiwis returning per day as well, to ensure the quarantine system remains effective. I can see it from both sides. If you are overseas you want to get back to a country that has systems of control, management & effective healthcare, but these countries need to protect the nation too.

Australia has not managed its quarantine as effectively as NZ. But there are many issues for why each country is different. For Australia, having different states & systems of operation is a challenge I suspect, where as NZ has been able to operate more as one team. But I think that leadership by NZ's PM has had a lot to do with success there too. I sense that NZ was more concerned with safety of the population rather than economy where as AU seems to have a bit of a fixation on economy, but this fixation on keeping schools & business open means potentially more risk & ultimately more risk to the economy. And New Zealand’s commitment to the welfare of the population is clearly shaped by the greater voice that indigenous NZers have in shaping the nation. In Maori culture, people usually come before $. AU has a bigger population & far more tourists on cruise ships who returned in the early period. Both countries appeared to have control and then in June things went bad in Victoria where security at quarantine hotels appeared to breach distancing rules with guests. Security then got sick & spread the virus into the local community & while Victoria has lockdown & masks as law now, things had been able to amplify before action was taken. It is always about acting early. Even when it looks like you are ahead of the game, the reality is probably that we are behind.

Many people fail to grasp the germination period. This virus is a complex one to understand in all its aspects. Some people will never get sick but can spread the infection. It can take 2 weeks until people get sick, sometimes even longer. So, checks at airports may only show who is unwell, not who may be infectious. There is an idea popular with many younger that they will not get sick and it is only a problem for older people with health problems. There is a group of nutcases particularly in the US, that this virus is not even real, but just a method by government to control people’s freedoms. The ‘rights of the individual’ is pervasive in many sections of the population. ‘My life my choice whether I wear a mask or social distance’. This has contributed greatly to the mass spread in the US. Certain cultures and their lack of willingness or ability to social distance or practice good hygiene. Undoubtedly, certain countries and cultures have feared better because of their different practices & ideas around hygiene. And in many places in the world, it is difficult to be hygienic when water may not be clean etc or places are overcrowded. I just read that the shantytowns of Mumbai have 50% infection. I notice here in Sydney that about 80% of people I see wearing masks are of Asian descent. Masks have often been worn in China & other countries in Asia as a way to reduce infection & effects of air pollution, so masks are almost part of the culture. I think for many Australians, there is a bravado cool thing to act like they are invincible. To wear a mask for many would be seen as weakness or acknowledging their vulnerableness, especially men. Such people need to grasp that their actions or lack of, put themselves & others they come in contact with at risk. A very good article in ABC News today explaining the story of 2 health care workers in Melbourne who were both young & healthy who ended up in hospital needing medical assistance because of the severity of this disease. Breaking through the idea that the young have nothing to worry about with this disease is vital. There are many young people in the peak of their health who may never recover fully from the effects of this disease. Maybe a tv advertising campaign for the 15-35-year age group on how risking exposure to Covid is like playing Russian Roulette could be a good strategy. Maybe some people will have few or minimal symptoms but then others will be whacked out for several months and some may never recover fully. And this with all previously healthy young & fit.

Then there is the ethnic & genetic/ socio economic connections of vulnerability to this disease. As mentioned earlier, New York back in April was witnessing more severe symptoms being common in African American & Hispanic people especially relating to kidney & liver issues. Hispanic often have some African genetics so maybe there is a link there to a vulnerability. Also, a report I read of in the last two days that many people in the US of Pacific decent are experiencing greater problems with the virus.

Back in February- March I did some lobbying & posts on facebook etc with airlines & governments in the NZ/AU region. I mentioned how in the 1918 Spanish pandemic, more Samoans per capita than any other nation died, and that we needed to be aware of potential vulnerability to people in the region. My comments got picked up on by a journalist with Stuff which I was pleased about & concern for protecting the Pacific was a key issue cited for why NZ acted early to protect the region.

When we look around the world, we can see the bravado and recklessness of some world leaders & the connection of their countries having virus out of control, namely US & Brazil. Likewise, in the early phase, UK was the same with limited early action. Admittedly, since getting sick the British PM has a lot more respect for controlling spread of Covid, but as we have seen time & time again, stopping the spread at the beginning is a much easier task than trying to control it once it has broken out of the stable.

We are still a long way from a vaccine I suspect, although we see reports saying otherwise. Then there would be issues of supplying it worldwide. Plus, that Covid is RNA means it could change. We already have 5 types in the world, I think. Just like 1918, there is potential for it to become a more dangerous disease, so getting the population to get more serious is vital. Social distancing as a regular consistent thing, that we all consider our limiting of spread not just for ourselves but others and create cultures of care & respect for all the population, especially the most vulnerable. Wearing masks as a standard practice in social locations. That we shift away from the ‘me ‘culture & engage in a culture which is about dignity & respect for all people of our nations and for the whole world. People say we are all in this together, but we really need a world where we are truly operating that way.

Most westerners truly have no idea of the impact of this virus on the developing world. For starters most poor nations have limited access to hospitals, ICUs etc. right now in Dom Rep all hospitals are at capacity, and this just as the cases are beginning to surge. Or the cost of medicines and which people in the world & which governments can afford them. China has assisted a lot of countries in the Latin America region with medicines & medical equipment when western countries appeared to generally be only focused on their own situations. Same with Cuba reaching out support to many other countries and even taking in a cruise ship when no other countries would permit it to dock.

While there is a lot of vulnerability in poorer nations, I also see that this makes many countries more sensible too. When you realise your limitations, you take the situation more seriously. Haiti for example has so far controlled spread more effectively than a lot of other countries. Very limited access to medical resources & even food supplies, very dependent on UN & NGO agencies as well as World Bank etc, people recognise the need to act with more care. The disregard shown by a lot of westerners to this virus especially in the younger age group I do not think is so evident in poorer nations. In countries with more economic struggle, all sections of the population realise their need to pull their weight and act in the common interests of the nation. But Brazil being led by a leader who showed disregard to the virus, also sways the population into foolishness.

However, if social distancing is a challenge to the culture of the country, then these countries are most at risk I think. Italy, Spain both had big problems with the virus & most of Latin America is the same. The tendency for Latino culture to interact & party & have fun is an issue that makes virus spread easier.

Dominican Rep being so dependent on tourism kept putting off return to normal on several occasions as government convinced opposition & business to delay, but it was a struggle to convince. Eventually opponents had enough so return to normal was announced for July 1 and flights opened to any nations that wished to return. Currently hotels are only at 10% occupancy because most countries will not fly there. Things are unstable. Many Dominicans were sick of social distancing & wearing masks & staying in their homes. And people were struggling with money. But as soon as the government allowed this relaxation, cases have surged with 2000 new infections in one day just 2 days ago. The government has reinstated a state of emergency, but many Dominicans are defying the regulations. One part of the capital had police trying to enforce social distancing &, masks, attacked with bottles. A friend reported a hotel being full of Dominicans partying in the pool with no social distancing. All this as doctors have announced that all hospitals are full. Trouble will intensify there. And with such reduced tourism, there will be great stress on the economy. Stress is coming to all countries' economies, and leaders need to strategise how to ensure that food supplies can be guaranteed to the most vulnerable in the months ahead. This is vital for the world being in this together truly & maintaining world stability. China has shown more commitment to Latin America this year than any other group that I can see.

Something that I do not follow a lot, but a little, is different medicines & what seems to work best. It has seemed a very scattered worldwide approach, something that I think WHO could be managing far more effectively. To better coordinate & disseminate both research, trials & the work in the hospitals of different countries. The big one that has been absent all along was Ivermectin. Some say its no good while some doctors & countries rave about it. In Dom Rep, many doctors said it was effective especially in early stages of the disease and that’s a good thing if its true because it is not an expensive medicine, so the whole world could all be using it. But the information on different medicines seems unclear & murky. So much of the media was manipulated by the rantings of US Trump who was all for a medicine that doctors went gaga over initially & then stopped using because so many people were dying from it.

Whoever is reading this, I wish you best wishes in the months ahead. I hope my story has been of interest to you, and some of my ideas & reflections will give you ideas as we move forward. It is a challenging time for all people throughout the world. But in challenging times, greatness often emerges too. I have felt more emotions this year than others, good & bad. I feel more concern for myself & others. I hope we can all figure out solutions that will assist the whole world to move forward advancing the situations of all world citizens.

Sources of information

February March April

https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/119174673/calls-for-air-new-zealand-to-suspend-all-flights-to-china-to-stop-spread-of-coronavirus

https://www.voanews.com/science-health/coronavirus-outbreak/who-containment-best-first-strategy-slow-down-coronavirus

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/world/countries-urged-to-avoid-blanket-approach-to-contain-surging-coronavirus-outbreak/ar-BBZGWji?ocid=spartanntp

https://www.msn.com/en-au/sport/more-sports/china-virus-spread-could-throw-cold-water-on-2020-games-chief/ar-BBZFa8x?ocid=spartanntp

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/coronavirus/the-best-case-outcome-for-the-coronavirus-and-the-worst/ar-BB11tkbl?ocid=spartanntp

International

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travel_restrictions_related_to_the_COVID-19_pandemic#Europe

https://www.msn.com/en-au/money/markets/here-s-why-u-s-struggles-with-the-coronavirus-could-lead-to-europe-s-stock-market-taking-the-lead/ar-BB16h8iz?ocid=msedgntp

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/122045971/coronavirus-the-countries-going-backwards-in-the-fight-against-covid19

https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/news/121594115/coronavirus-why-you-really-dont-want-to-go-to-europe-this-year?rm=a