Asian countries such as China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam are coping better with the coronavirus pandemic than Germany and Europe. Do intercultural factors play a role here? Can Germany learn from this? We work out these differences in our intercultural training courses in Asia, China, Japan and Korea.
How does the reaction of Asians to corona differ from that in Germany?
Compared to Germany, there were significant differences in the response to the outbreak of the pandemic:
- The first SARS outbreak in Asia occurred back in 2003, but it was quickly brought under control and “only” claimed 700 victims. Germany was spared, the outbreak of the disease was something that happened far away.
- However, the states had learned from this experience and had adapted and upgraded both their emergency planning and their healthcare systems. Germany had not needed to do this, there were simply no reserves. Hence the initial shortage of masks.
- Most countries in Asia therefore reacted very quickly when the news of the new lung disease became known. This included strict entry controls and bans, tests and quarantine regulations.
- The quarantine was strictly followed up.
- Wearing masks became compulsory much sooner than in Germany, where it took weeks to admit that masks can protect people. If not themselves, then others.
- Big data was used to create movement profiles and trace possible infection routes. An impossibility in Germany due to data protection laws.
For these reasons, the virus could be brought under control much better than in Germany, as the development in the “second wave” shows.
Intercultural factors? Yes and no!
- The behavior of Asians cannot be reduced to individual cultural differences. In socialist states, such as China or Vietnam, the government simply has dictatorial power and the inhabitants have much less opportunity to undermine the measures ordered. This is not a cultural difference, but it made it easier for the governments there to enforce the measures. At the same time, the Chinese government in particular was able to stage itself as the “victor” over the virus by controlling the information channels. Arrested bloggers and strange private recordings from Wuhan cast doubt on the accuracy of the official figures.
- On the other hand, wearing masks is much more widely accepted in Asia than in Europe. Asians often wear masks to protect themselves against air pollution or because they have a cold or don’t want to catch one. This is more of a cultural aspect, as this behavior says a lot about the attitude towards the community.
- Furthermore, Asians love technology and have already overtaken Germany and Europe in its use. The strict control made possible by cell phones naturally made it easier to trace infection paths. The use of technology has not yet appeared in any book on cultural differences, and if it does, then only in passing. I, on the other hand, think that this is an essential aspect, especially when you consider how much technology now determines our everyday lives.
- As societies tend to be collectivist, Asians tend to find it easier to accept restrictions on personal freedom than Europeans.
- Personal contact in Asia is less physical than in Europe. Shaking hands and “Bussi-Bussi” are generally not common, and when hands are shaken, it is usually in an international environment. After all, it took a long time for Germans to get used to greeting each other at a safe distance with an elbow.
- Asians have tested more from the beginning – an important factor in reducing undetected cases. This is not a cultural phenomenon, but simply the implementation of a well thought-out strategy.
- The stronger focus on risk groups and superspreader events has proven its worth. This is not a cultural factor either.
Asia as a role model?
At the moment, it looks as if the Asians have the more efficient strategy for containing the pandemic. The example of Sweden in particular illustrates that a laissez-faire strategy with appeals does not pay off. On the other hand, the measures also reflect what is considered acceptable in the respective societies.
- The German corona app is a good example of a half-hearted approach to technology. Data protection and the individual rights of the individual are placed above more efficient health protection.
- The demand for virtual working has revealed deficits in the technical equipment in many areas. While many companies have been able to adapt, schools in particular are suffering as many of them are still not sufficiently equipped for virtual teaching. The victims are the schoolchildren and parents.
- Fortunately, the obligation to wear a mask has now been enforced and most people have realized that wearing a mask helps, even if there are still those who don’t agree.
- The consistent and drastic observance of quarantine regulations with corresponding checks has not yet become established in Germany.
What to do?
At the beginning of last year, the German government was confronted with a problem for which it was not prepared. And whatever it did, it was always right and always wrong. In some cases, the assumptions and the measures contradicted each other:
- At first masks had no effect, then suddenly they did.
- Schools were not declared hotspots, now there are studies that say the opposite.
- At first, hairdressers and restaurants with appropriate hygiene concepts posed no risk, but now they are closed again.
Germans generally find it difficult when their individual rights are restricted. Data protection, freedom of assembly, the right to demonstrate, quarantine regulations, accommodation bans – all of these have already been the subject of legal disputes, each time revolving around the question: How far is the state allowed to restrict rights in order to protect health? Rights that Germans had learned to appreciate after the totalitarian nightmares of the past.
The tightrope act
As often emphasized, politicians have tried to implement what is supposedly reasonable, not to defeat the pandemic, but to prevent the healthcare system from collapsing. They have succeeded so far. But the less stringent the measures, the more victims there are to mourn and the longer the current “hanging game” will last.
So learning from Asia after all?
So we should certainly take a look at Asia. Ultimately, for example, we have to decide: What is more important to us – data protection or human lives? As brutal as it may sound, pandemics are brutal. If the vaccination campaign does not lead to the hoped-for success, we will have to answer this question at some point or live with the consequences. And if we take science seriously, this pandemic will not be the last time these questions are asked.
