Not in Sync on Global Re-Emergence
What has been on my mind a lot lately is how many of my clients, colleagues and friends around the world are stuck at different stages of the global pandemic and are facing entirely different timelines for their lives returning to some semblance of normalcy.
I just looked up the latest data. Here in the United States, 45% of the entire population (not just adults) is fully vaccinated. In my native Germany, that number currently stands at 30%. In Indonesia, the fourth largest country on the planet (by population), that number is 4.5%. And India, with a population of almost 1.4 billion people, has fully vaccinated only 3.6% of them.
What does this mean?
The first thing that comes to my mind is that back when all of this started, in February and March of last year, most of us around the world were more or less in the same boat at the same time. Yes, China and Italy were hardest hit early on and the scenes emerging from totally overwhelmed hospitals in northern Italy were heartbreaking to watch. New York, one of the greatest cities in the world, was next and seeing the photos of refrigerated trucks backing up to city hospitals to temporarily store the extra bodies, was impossible to unsee. I remember being shocked to my core.
But what unfolded in Central China's Hubei Province, in northern Italy, and in New York City's metropolitan area occurred mere weeks apart and by April, May and June all of us around the world were facing very similar realities. Unlike the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, which were experienced very differently by Americans versus citizens of other countries, the COVID-19 pandemic became a globally shared experience. No matter who I connected with in those early months, friends in France, Spain, Malaysia, South Africa or Mexico reported the same changes affecting their lives and workplaces as my clients and colleagues in Germany, the UK, or California. All of us adjusted to working from home. All of us got on Zoom. All of us canceled events, travel plans and long-scheduled vacations.
Now here we are, a year later. In the United States we are about to celebrate our Independence Day on July 4th and I hear people talking about their summer vacation plans. Given the massive progress on getting Americans vaccinated, I am witnessing life slowly returning to normal. I have attended a few events and gatherings and have participated in business meetings in conference rooms without wearing a mask. Each of the planes I have been on in recent weeks have been packed.
As I type this, Malaysia is in the middle of another nationwide lockdown (that started at midnight on June 1) after COVID-19 cases hit a new record. Nobody is allowed to go more than 10 kilometers from their home and no more than two people from the same household are allowed in a car. All commerce in the country has effectively groundTHe to a stop, yet again. Further, I have heard friends and colleagues in Indonesia express that they are hoping to gain access to the Russian vaccine, maybe by the end of the year or early next year. Many countries around the world are facing another year or more of massive disruptions due to the pandemic. The loss of life that is still in front of us for so many is truly impossible to comprehend.
What started as a shared experience for all of us around the world is no longer that.
Think about that. Especially if you are fortunate to live in a place where life and business is slowly returning to normal.