Staying In with Jan Powell

How has South Korea got through the COVID19 pandemic with such low rates of infection?  How does its famous Track-and-Trace system work? And what was it like living in the capital at the height of the pandemic?  Jan catches up with her son Hugo Powell in Seoul, where he spent three months as a Master's student.   After two weeks of strict quarantine, Hugo wasted no time before  delving into Korean cooking, the rising popularity of cocktails, and  international rivalry for the best kimchi.  

Working from home  is something most of us complain about but have had to get used to.  But  what about people who don't have the luxury of staying in, and for whom getting the job done means being out on the front line?  People like Peter Scott-Bowden,  who was working for the World Food Programme in Afghanistan when Jan caught up with him in December last year.  Afghanistan has  been in a state of war and turmoil for over four decades, leaving millions short of food.  Peter's job was to get supplies out to well over 8 million hungry people - while at the same time,  the COVID19 pandemic was spreading into the country. Jan and Peter first met last year during Geneva Peace Week, where he was representing the  CCHN - the Centre for Humanitarian  Negotiation.  Getting convoys of food to  people  in remote areas, often controlled by warlords and local leaders, requires excellent negotiation skills, as Peter explains.Check out  https://www.wfp.org/  and https://frontline-negotiations.org/ 

This week Jan talks to George Powell, a journalist and film maker who has lived and worked in Rio de Janeiro for the past 6 years.  He's chosen to live in one of Rio's smaller favelas, and has some interesting insights into life as the only gringo in the village, how to survive preferring rugby to football in the land that worships the Beautiful Game, and why the country's president, Jair Bolsonaro  is hitting an all-time popularity level despite the rampant spread of Coronavirus, and the devastating lack of quality healthcare for the poor.  Brazil  is now second in  the Coronavirus stakes to the United States with over 100,000  deaths and over 3 million cases,  and Rio is  one of the country's hotspots. But as COVID fatigue sets in, there's little sign of the pandemic coming under control.If you'd like to know more about ONERIO, the project George talks about, that helps young favela children through rugby, then check out www.umrio.org  and   www.facebook.com/UMRioONERio

Many countries are facing a resurgence of COVID-19 and nowhere is that resurgence more painful than in Hong Kong. After weeks with no cases at all, the virus has struck back in the crowded island and strict control measures have been reinstated. This week, Jan speaks to Yvonne Ng,  a young PhD student who was born and brought up in Hong Kong. As a particle physicist Yvonne spent the last 11 years dividing her time between the US and Europe. She was working at CERN, (the European Organization for Nuclear Research)  in Geneva, when the Centre was abruptly closed following cases of COVID-19 at the beginning of March.  As borders rapidly closed around her, Yvonne  returned to self-isolate in Hong Kong and face the memories of the SARS epidemic of 2003, which is etched on the consciousness of an entire generation. Yvonne believes that the traumatic impact of that previous epidemic has shaped the public response to COVID-19 and helps explain the early success in controlling the spread.  

This week Jan's in Lima,  the capital city of Peru, perched on the very edge of the Pacific  Ocean.  She's talking to Helen Binge, a paediatric physiotherapist who moved to the city 3 years ago when her husband Chris took over the headship of Markham College, an International School in the city.  Little did she realise that she would live through one of the longest Corona virus lockdowns in the world. Jan and Helen chat about why the country has suffered so badly in the pandemic despite its strict quarantine measures, the delights of a 17 course tasting menu delivered to your door, and getting rid of Covid hair. Apologies for the less than perfect sound quality - it's a long way from France to Lima and the internet connection was definitely a little stretched. 

The Italian town of Bergamo in Lombardy was devastated by the Coronavirus back in March when it first began to spread in Europe, with hospitals and cemeteries overwhelmed by the number of cases.  This week Jan talks to Bergamo citizen Matteo Tarantino about his memories of the frightening early days of the pandemic, and how he and his family coped with strict lockdown conditions. Matteo is a sociologist and university lecturer who has some interesting thoughts about how ageism affected the treatment of COVID-19 patients, and how the legacy of the pandemic will force us to rethink our future cities.

Jan finds out what it's like to be locked down during the Covid-19 pandemic in Istanbul  with TRT producer and journalist Sitara Jabeen.  How do you make TV reports when you can't leave home? What was it like living through Ramadan, that most sociable of months, in solitary confinement? And what's happened to the hundreds of cats that roam Istanbul's back streets, now that the restaurants and markets that normally feed them are closed by the coronavirus?  

Jan catches up with film-maker, old friend and colleague, Gill Fickling (find her at  Gillfickling.com) After years of travel, Gill moved back to Britain to a new home in Penzance just a few weeks before the lockdown began. We take a look at what its like to settle down after life as a global nomad, how to adapt to a new community while social distancing rules apply, and the delights of being immersed in your own language and culture after years away. Gill  is coping with lockdown restrictions by throwing herself into a painting challenge - producing and selling a painting a day to raise money for refugees. But how to find new subjects when you have to stay in?  Will it be a holiday photo view? Or the chickens at the bottom of the garden?