Coronavirus pandemic is source of anxiety in Newton’s sister city in Ukraine

On March 16, in response to an email I sent to my colleagues at Lyceum “Leader” educational complex in Smila, Ukraine, where I taught English at GoCamp in June 2018, regarding the Coronavirus pandemic, I received an immediate response from Tetyana Yarmysh. Tanya, whom I have known since 2001, is English teacher methodologist and coordinator of all international projects at the school.

She wrote, “Thanks a lot for letting us know all the details of fighting this terrible disease in the USA and Iowa in particular.  Just the way we do it in Ukraine.”

She indicated that schools are closed until April 5. They are using e-learning and Skype for instruction.

“[O]nly pharmacies and food stores are open,” she wrote. “Railway and bus transportation in the country will be stopped from April 18.”

At that time only four cases of the disease had been reported in all of Ukraine “but there must be more, we guess.”

Elena Rogovec, an English teacher at Lyceum “Leader,” responded two days later. She advised that she was going to use my email text as a reading comprehension assignment of an authentic text which she would download for students as their English homework.

“Yes, Larry, schools have been closed since last Thursday [March 12] in Smila because of the Coronavirus,” Lena wrote.  “Our students are taught virtually here too.  Most teachers use Lyceum’s site for connection with their students.  But I prefer Viber to do this.  All teachers in Smila are working online from their homes.  We are monitoring our students’ health every day by survey through a class parents’ group in the Internet.

“People are in a panic in Smila too:  salt, grain, toilet paper, hand-sanitizer, medical masks and lemons are bought out during a day.  Seven cases of the virus are in Ukraine.  There were no reported cases in Smila yet.”

I wrote my colleagues again on March 28.

On March 29, Lena replied: “Thank you for your email dated 28th March.  How goes the day, dear friend?  The weather here, in Smila, is lovely now (it is +15 degrees Celsius, sunny, the apricot trees are already in blossom!), but we have been staying indoors nearly all the time because of the Coronavirus situation.

“The Coronavirus emergency situation is imposed here in two oblasts (not in Cherkasy region [where Smila is located]!), but the imposition of a state of emergency throughout the country is discussed by the deputies of The Verkhovna Rada [Parliament].  There are 418 plus cases of this virus in Ukraine, 48 of them in Cherkasy Oblast (no deaths-reported cases in our oblast, but there are — in a country!).

“Yesterday, on Saturday, atrocious news (but is still not reported yet at 11.19 a. m. of Sunday!) appeared on the Facebook Wall:  Kamyanka City, it is nearly 32 kilometers of Smila and Kamyanka District, which is boarded with Smila District, will be locked-down since Sunday, 29th, because of 23 test positive for COVID-19 there (including five medical staff).

“What about the precautions are being made in the event in Smila as well as in Ukraine?  Schools are still out here, in Smila, and all over Ukraine.  Children are taught virtually (we call it ‘distance education’) — by television screen, by using computer technologies such as Zoom, for ex.  Personally I make video lessons, I often find out official educational videos on YouTube and share them with my students and their parents. I would try to organize a Video Meeting on the Zoom Client platform that is why two days ago, I took place in a Webinar of how to use Zoom.

“Other precautions in Smila and in Ukraine are the same as in your country and as they are throughout the world: restaurants, bars, markets have been closed here (take-away service available too); public transport has been stopped; no more than two people should come into the Pharmacy (only in mask!) and no more than 10 persons should congregate in a public place.  To buy something in a supermarket, we stand in a queue outside by practicing distance at least 1.5-2 meters away from other person and we are obliged to come inside the market only after one-two of customers have come out.

“Ukrainian celebrities are engaged in numerous social videos on TV channels to explain clearly all the new necessary public rules such as no hand-shaking or hugging, of staying home, that self-isolation is not a holidays, they cheer viewers up, give people fresh ideas of how to cope with a sense of social isolation and how to use the situation for the personal growth.

“Lots of people wear masks in Smila, practically 80 percent of them, although the lack of masks in the Chamicals’ [Chemists’?] and high prices on the masks (2 hryvnas before and 20 hryvnas - about $1 now, for one — short mask!).

“The church services are online here and are broadcasting on TV, without believers inside the church.

“There is a temporary hospital in Smila too, in addition to the three Smila Community’s.  Serious precautions are being made in hospitals, of course.  And (never before!) even handles on the entrance doors are wrapped with bandages and are disinfected in a certain period of time.

“Is there a panic? To tell the truth, yes ... Firstly, it is because in local hospitals as well as in all Ukrainian ones there is a problem of the lack of lungs ventilation apparatus. Secondly, hundred [or] thousands of people have just returned from abroad to Ukraine and not all of them are self-isolating.  Thirdly, it is said we have more cases of test positive persons between the ages 46-56 now.

“But ... I believe that the virus [is] remote[,] out of our way.  Thank you so much for you to think and pray for all of us in the ‘particularly troublous times,’ as you said.”

Tanya wrote later the same day: “So nice to hear from you and know that you are healthy.

“... It sounds like we all are in the same boat.

“Personally I am trying to stay at home and go out only at 5 a.m. for jogging at the stadium.  I do shopping twice a week as I have to carry all purchases in my hands.

“Anyway I can’t say that I have much free time. I am busy all day long listening to webinars, learning to use various online tools to be able to organize distant lessons. What a challenge at my age!

“Well, staying healthy is the main goal now, so let’s be positive and hope for the best.”