The European Union Center at the University of Illinois strives to be a resource regarding European and European Union issues. As such, we have organized a group of U of I student volunteers with expertise and/or ties to various European regions or nations to keep track of statistics and developments. Each week we will post their findings to the EUC
blog.
Contributing students: Maria Arruti Iparraguirre, Pamela Binda, Margarita Kuzmanova, Evelyn Lamb, Lara Morgan, Sean Norris, Quinn O'Dowd, Shawna Oliver, Alejandra-Isabel Otero Pires, and Charlotte Prieu
APRIL 23, 2020
EUROPE (Overview)
Reported by Lucas Henry, Coordinator of Academic Programs, European Union Center. Lucas is also a PhD candidate in musicology, with a research focus on European popular music, music festivals, and European Union cultural policy.
European Union, European Economic Area, and United Kingdom
Total reported cases: 1,031,156 (Last week: 878,222)
COVID-19 related deaths: 111,152 (Last week: 89,825)
The EU/EEA/UK has 38.6% (last week: 40.6%) of the global total of reported cases and 58.4% (last week: 60.7%) of global total of COVID-19 related deaths.
Europe (EU, EEA, UK, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Turkey, Russian Federation, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Andorra, Monaco, Vatican City)
Total reported cases: 1,260,413 (last week: 1,031,744)
COVID-19 related deaths: 116,279 (last week: 93,304)
Europe as a continent has 47.2% (last week: 48.2%) of the global total of reported cases and 62.1% (last week: 63.2%) of global total of COVID-19 related deaths.
SOURCE:
Earlier in the week, the European Council (i.e., the 27 executive leaders of the EU member states) met via teleconference to discuss two significant items: a short-term rescue package worth 500 billion euros as recommended by EU finance minsters, and the upcoming seven-year multiannual financial framework (the MFF, the EU’s long term budget). The group endorsed the short-term rescue package, but could not come to an agreement on the MFF. Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission President, holds firm that the upcoming MFF must have enough “firepower” to fight off not only the current COVID-19 crisis, but also any other crisis that may arise during the timeframe of the funding framework. She suggested that the EU would need trillions in order to be effective. Italy, France and Spain—three of Europe’s hardest hit nations—are requesting that the rescue package be delivered in the form of grants; Northern and Central European countries such as the Netherlands and Austria, however, suggest that the funding be delivered in the form of loans. Germany, however, has signaled that it is willing to assist any European nation in need of financial and economic assistance.
European universities have also been hard hit during the crisis, and international students in the Erasmus program (a European program that facilitates international exchange among universities European Union member states) have been hit particularly hard. The network recently conducted a survey among 22,000 international students and found that nearly 30% of respondents had lost access to transportation back to their home country, and that over 1400 respondents had no access to food and were going hungry. Others reported having no access to healthcare, that their housing had been cancelled, or had experienced visa issues as a result of the crisis. Even more troubling is that over one-third of the respondents had experienced more than one major problem associated with the crisis.
In many of the following reports by UIUC students you will find discussions about and/or links to stories about student and university issues in countries throughout Europe.
SOURCES:
WESTERN BALKANS
Reported by Alejandra Pires. Alejandra is a PhD candidate in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, with a research focus on Soviet cinema and literature. She teaches first- and second-year Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian.
Albania
Total reported cases: 634 (last week: 494)
COVID-19 related deaths: 27 (last week: 25)
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Total reported cases: 1367 (last week: 1100)
COVID-19 related deaths: 52 (last week: 40)
Croatia
Total reported cases: 1950 (last week: 1741)
COVID-19 related deaths: 48 (last week: 34)
Kosovo
Total reported cases: 630 (last week: 423)
COVID-19 related deaths: 18 (last week: 9)
Montenegro
Total reported cases: 315 (last week: 288)
COVID-19 related deaths: 5 (last week: 4)
North Macedonia
Total reported cases: 1259 (last week: 974)
COVID-19 related deaths: 56 (last week: 45)
Serbia
Total reported cases: 7114 (last week: 4873)
COVID-19 related deaths: 134 (last week: 99)
Slovenia
Total reported cases: 1353 (last week: 1258)
COVID-19 related deaths: 79 (last week: 61)
SOURCE:
Serbian authorities in Belgrade informed students in mid-March that that they had roughly 24 hours to evacuate their dorms or student housing and return to their hometowns due to the ongoing developments of the coronavirus situation. While this measure is understandable, given the gravity of the situation, the short amount of time that students were given to leave drew some criticism from students who lived far away from the city—especially international students. It was noted that some students may have already been infected, and that sending them away to hometown to live with older relatives was also irresponsible. The lack of adequate testing was cited as well. Students who needed to stay longer were allowed to submit petitions in writing.
BULGARIA
Report by Margarita Kuzmanova. Margarita is a freshman majoring in Aerospace Engineering.
Total reported cases: 1097 (last week: 800)
COVID-19 related deaths: 52 (last week: 38)
Confirmed recoveries: 190 (last week: 122)
In light of the coronavirus outbreak, Sofia University took the decision to cancel all in-person classes, opting instead for remote learning. The University is to remain closed until May 10th, after which a decision will be made if it should reopen its doors. All depends on how the situation with the pandemic develops. As a reminder, kindergartens, schools and universities in Bulgaria have been closed since mid-March. Closure days are added as the COVID-19 crisis continues and the number of cases increases.
SOURCES:
CZECH REPUBLIC
Report by Quinn O’Dowd. Quinn is a second-year PhD student in the Department of Sociology, studying tourism and consumption.
Total reported cases: 7187 (last week: 6369)
COVID-19 related deaths: 210 (last week: 169)
Confirmed recoveries: 2152 (last week: 972)
The government is lifting its ban on movement domestically; groups of up to ten people will be able to move freely. Starting Monday, stores of up to 2,500 square meters will open. By May 25th restaurants will be reopened. A negative COVID-19 test will suffice to allow Czechs abroad to return to the country. If returnees do not submit a negative test, they must undergo a 14-day quarantine. From the 27th of April, the government will reopen higher education. According to the spokeswoman for the Ministry of Education, Aneta Lednová, there are no planned dates for the reopening of secondary and primary schools.
SOURCES:
FRANCE
Report by Charlotte Prieu. Charlotte is a PhD candidate in French linguistics in the Department of French and Italian.
Total reported cases: 120,804 (last week: 108,847)
5053 currently in intensive care units (last week: 6248)
COVID-19 related deaths: 21,856 (last week: 17,920)
Confirmed recoveries: 42,088 (last week: 32,812)
SOURCE:
Students, especially those with a low-income background, are highly impacted by the lockdown. Universities have closed and will not reopen until the Fall. Some universities chose to move or change their final exams dates and policies for the Sping but some, such as Science Po Rennes, have decided to maintain exams. This decision put the students who had to go back to the French Caribbean in a difficult position as they will have to take several exams at 3 am within two weeks.
SOURCE:
Many other students are also facing hardships during the pandemic: some cannot afford to pay both rent and food and many have lost their student jobs. The CROUS, a subsidized institution lodging students, has not canceled the rent for students who could not return to their families for the lockdown. Very often, it's those same students who are in precarious situations and would need support from the government. Even for the students who were able to go home, inequities are made more salient with the lockdown and those who do not have access to a stable internet connection or even to a computer do not have the same chances as the students who do.
SOURCE:
GERMANY
Report by Evelyn Lamb, Sean Norris, and Shawna Oliver.
Evelyn is a sophomore majoring in economics and Germanic studies, with a minor in art history. She plans to pursue graduate studies in German.
Sean is a junior majoring in global studies and German.
Shawna is a senior majoring in history. She is also a member of the Air Force ROTC.
*Germany is an excellent case to highlight discrepancies in statistics. Each student looked to different reporting agencies for information, and each returned different results. See below.
Worldometer
Total reported cases: 150,648 (last week: 135,663)
COVID-19 related deaths: 5,315 (last week: 3,867)
Confirmed recoveries: 106,800 (last week: 77,000)
SOURCE:
World Health Organization (WHO)
Total reported cases: 148,046 (last week: 130,450)
COVID-19 related deaths: 5094 (last week: 3,569)
SOURCE:
Robert Koch Institut (RKI)
Total reported cases: 145,694 (last week: 127,584)
COVID-19 related deaths: 4879 (last week: 3254)
Confirmed recoveries: c.99,400 (last week: c. 72,600)
SOURCE:
In Germany this week it has become mandatory to wear a mask in public. This is a further progression of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s recommendation for all citizens to cover their faces last week when shopping restrictions eased. Each German state is permitted to determine the specific regulations for face masks, which has resulted in a universal decision to require masks on public transport, and most states (excluding Berlin) requiring a face covering while shopping. These new regulations come into effect on Monday.
Chancellor Angela Merkel warned the German people of the danger of reopening too quickly, saying this is nowhere near the end of the COVID 19 crisis in Europe. Merkel does have a plan in place to reopen the country, but at a very slow and gradual pace. In her plan schools and universities will open far later than some small shops and businesses, but earlier than other large public gatherings. In addition to this warning, officials in Munich have decided to cancel Oktoberfest, one of the most culturally significant festivals in the country in hope to not have a resurgence of COVID 19 in Southern Germany.
The Paul Ehrlich Institute (Germany’s federal vaccine organization) approved clinical trials for a potential vaccine on Wednesday and has collected 200 healthy adult volunteers to undergo testing that will begin before the end of the month. The immediate aim of testing is to determine the immune system’s response and identify potential side-effects of the experimental vaccine. The head of the PEI, Klaus Cichutek, cautions that although human testing is a definite sign of progress, it is unlikely that an approved vaccine will be ready for the general public in 2020.
Plans to gradually reopen public schools with priority given to graduating classes will continue and are currently scheduled to begin in May. On April 20, some schools have slowly re-opened to allow students to complete final examinations. They started with older students first so they could come in and write their final papers. Students observe strict social distancing as they attend the schools. Students came with face masks and used sanitizer on their hands and disinfected their widely spaced desks. The details of how schools reopen is up to the individual federal states, since some are more affected than others by COVID-19. But students will be on a schedule of who comes in to take their exams.
Many German universities have delayed the start of summer terms until April 20, 2020, dependent on the state in which the university is found. The normal summer term runs from April 1- September 30. Schools are preparing for a full shift to online learning, should the need arise, although it is not currently expected that the crisis will continue into the fall term. It’s expected that international students coming to study at Germany universities will decrease in the coming semesters due to COVID.
Another source has a different interpretation of the university situation in Germany. The states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria will start the summer session later since they have the most cases of COVID-19. No classes are to be held in person and they have moved to online courses much like the United States. The winter semester of 2020 will be pushed back and many universities are moving deadlines for applications for new students for the winter semester.
SOURCES:
ITALY
Report by Lara Morgan. Lara is a freshman with a major in Global Studies and a minor in French.
Total reported cases: 189,973 (last week: 168,841)
COVID-19 related deaths: 25,549 (last week: 22,170)
Confirmed recoveries: 57,576 (last week: 40,164)
106,848 are currently positive for coronavirus. Of the currently positive cases, 81,710 are in the hospital and 2,267 are in intensive care. The situation continues to gradually improve.
SOURCE:
UNESCO’s report on the state of schools and universities in the world due to the corona virus outbreak emphasized the abruptness of the unexpected cancellation of schools: 85 nations have stopped every didactic activity, and 15 have partially stopped. In this matter, Italy is the second country in the world to have closed all schools; 9,000,000 students interrupted their face-to-face classes on March 8th, and all school administration and faculty closed their offices by March 16th. Potential reopening of schools was first set for April 6th, and now it has been postponed for May, but it is unclear whether or not this date will hold. The Italian Ministry of Education has decided that all students will be able to move on to the next level in the fall, no matter their grades. There are many organizations aiding students with supplies, educational materials, and even lectures (such as UNICEF Italy, RAI per la didattica, and Treccani scuola). At the University of Bologna, one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Italy, about 1600 students are reported to be isolated in their residences, apart from their families. However, they are making creative efforts to connect with each other through videos and writing that describe their isolation--there is even an effort to create a book from these pieces. Students that have moved home from private apartments have gathered over 70,000 signatures for a petition for the government to lower costs or help with late payments on rent. This and similar issues exist all over Italy, since the Italian government has not been sufficiently responsive.
SOURCES:
POLAND
Report by Pamela Binda. Pamela is a senior with a major in Political Science and a minor in Slavic Languages, Literature, and Culture.
Total reported cases: 10,619 (last week: 7582)
COVID-19 related deaths: 426 (last week: 286)
Confirmed recoveries: 1740 (last week: 774)
SOURCES:
Poland has currently joined Denmark in the refusal of bailout for companies that participate in off-shore tax havens. Poland has also sent a 9-person medical team to Chicago to aid the Illinois National Guard against coronavirus. The government has increased its stimulus budget to 330 billion zloty to keep the company afloat. Anti-takeover against the privatization of small business measures have been implemented against outside funds and companies attempting to infiltrate the Polish market. A Gdansk scientist has made a crucial breakthrough in the progression of the creation of a vaccine by retrieving the full DNA sequence from a COVID-19 patient.
SOURCES:
SPAIN
Report by Maria Arruti Iparraguirre. Maria is a PhD student in Spanish Literatures and Cultures.
Total reported cases: 208,389 (last week: 177,633)
COVID-19 related deaths: 21,717 (last week: 18,579)
Confirmed recoveries: 89,915 (last week: 70,853)
SOURCE:
Spanish univeristy presidents are willing to be flexible due to the expetional situation caused by the spread of COVID-19. They are considering postponing some course material to be taught next semester, and they will reduce the amount of practical hours normally requested. Although there is not an official and homogeneous decision yet, many universities have decided to cancel all face-to-face classes until next semester. Many other university students are still waiting for an official decision. In regards of Spanish students studying in other European countries, some of them are stuck in the destination countries, mainly Italy.
SOURCES:
SWEDEN
Reported by Lucas Henry
Total reported cases: 16,755 (last week: 12,540)
COVID-19 related deaths: 2021 (last week: 1333)
Even though much of Sweden has lax centralized guidelines for the nation’s approach to the coronavirus crisis, secondary schools, universities, and other tertiary educational institutions have been closed to in-person instruction since mid-March. Primary schools and preschools remain open. However, many students in their final year of secondary school (gymnasium) are in need of taking their exams so that they may enter university. Students who feel that they are in particular need of study to prepare for the exam have been allowed to return to in-person instruction in order to better prepare for the exam. Many adults in Sweden have also been preparing to go back to university in the wake of the economic crisis brought on by the pandemic in Europe. Many of those students are also in need of taking exams as well, and the usual deadline for taking these exams was July 1. The government has extended this date for adult students in the municipal adult education programs (“komvux”, short for “kommunal vuxenutbildning”) so that they can have ample and sufficient opportunity to prepare for and take the exams following their time away from educational systems.
SOURCES:
COVID-19 in Europe, April 23, 2020
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