Impact of the Pandemic by COVID -19
INTRODUCTION
This work was carried out in order to help us collect information to prepare a comparative analysis both socially and culturally between the cities of El Alto in the department of La Paz, in the Rio Seco area and in Cobija of the department de Pando, in district 6. Knowing that the whole country is in a health emergency due to Covid 19 and thus seeing the different perspectives of the citizens of these two sectors.
We know very well that El Alto is a young city in constant progress and advance, suitable for the exercise of industrial activities, it enjoys the benefit of easy access both by air and land, but it is in the process of reaching the top of what the city can offer . In the same way, the city of Cobija, located in the youngest department that follows a slow but persistent and organized development, like El Alto, enjoys both air and land benefits with easy access and free trade in the free zone (Brazil – Bolivia) .
Despite this, the sociocultural movement of both cities consisted mostly of traditional sociocultural movements and corresponding to each region, the longing of society for the growth of the city for full development and assured well-being, in addition to an economic movement that constantly undergoes both positive and negative impacts that are quickly reflected in their society.
And since the first case of Covid – 19 was announced in Bolivia, as well as in the rest of the world, we knew that difficult moments would come, the issue of quarantine was inevitable since it is a measure that everyone came to include in the plans for contingency to fight the virus what has already become a pandemic. This causes a large part of the population, both Alteña and Cobijeña, due to their constant independent activity, to be seriously affected in various sectors, people cannot go out, cannot work and generate income, the academic calendar of the cities changed, all kinds of activity that involves the agglomeration of people had to be altered or canceled and today they are only waiting for a possible cure for what would be the pandemic by Covid – 19.
OBJECTIVES
GENERAL OBJECTIVES
- Identify the sociocultural impact of the Pandemic by COVID -19 in the cities of El Alto – La Paz, in the Rio Seco and Cobija – Pando area, in District 6.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
- Determine the social impact of the Pandemic by COVID -19 by making a comparison between the cities of El Alto – La Paz, in the Rio Seco area and Cobija – Pando, in District 6.
- Determine the cultural impact of the Pandemic by COVID -19 by making a comparison between the cities of El Alto – La Paz, in the Rio Seco area and Cobija – Pando, in District 6.
JUSTIFICATION
We know very well that coronavirus disease (COVID 19) is an infectious disease caused by a recently discovered coronavirus. Most people who become ill with COVID 19 experience mild to moderate symptoms and recover without special treatment. You can become infected by inhaling the virus if you are near a person with COVID 19 or if, after touching a contaminated surface, you touch your eyes, nose or mouth, and due to its easy contagion and accelerated expansion, it caused a huge effect on world level.
In Bolivia the situation is no different from that experienced in the rest of the world, since the main security measure to combat Covid-19 is to enter quarantine, but unfortunately this measure despite being positive for the health of the Bolivians are also negative at a social and cultural level for the population, since in these regions (Cities El Alto – La Paz and Cobija – Pando) it is characterized by the constant holding of cultural events such as tickets, national festivities and the fraternization of the citizens.
Although there was no difference in terms of the time in which the quarantine period was entered, if an inequality was found in the Covid 19 outbreak in the different cities, the city of El Alto being the first to have a considerable amount of infected before Cobija that after weeks the disease arrived at the place.
Today, in the cities of Cobija and El Alto, the number of those infected has increased remarkably, although the health sector and the governments do everything they can to combat this disease, it seems not to be enough and the majority of citizens no longer they want to abide by the quarantine ordered by the presidency, apart from the fact that they do not feel safe with medical care, it is the doctors and nurses who ask for better equipment for hospitals, clinics, health centers and places of isolation, to provide better care for patients and their families, thus facing the coronavirus pandemic (Covid 19).
- THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
2.1. SOCIOCULTURE
The term sociocultural is used to refer to any process or phenomenon related to the social and cultural aspects of a community or society. Thus, a sociocultural element will have to do exclusively with human achievements that can serve both to organize community life and to give meaning to it.
When the sociocultural adjective is applied to some phenomenon or process, reference is made to a man-made reality that may have to do with how people interact with each other, with the environment and with other societies. In this sense, advances or sociocultural creations of man, from the first days of his existence, may be the different forms of organization and social hierarchy, the various artistic expressions, the creation of institutions that aim to order life in community, the establishment of moral standards of behavior, the development of religions and structures of thought, the creation of educational systems, etc. (https://www.definicionabc.com/social/sociocultural.php)
2.1. PANDEMIC
2.1.1. WHAT IS A CORONAVIRUS?
Coronaviruses are an extensive family of viruses that can cause disease in both animals and humans. In humans, several coronaviruses are known to cause respiratory infections that can range from the common cold to more serious illnesses such as Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The most recently discovered coronavirus causes coronavirus disease COVID-19. (WHO. 2020)
2.1.2. WHAT IS COVID-19?
COVID-19 is the most recently discovered infectious disease caused by coronavirus. Both the new virus and the disease were unknown before the outbreak in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. (WHO, 2020)
2.1.3. BEGINNING AND EVOLUTION OF THE EPIDEMIC.
The Coordination Center for Health Alerts and Emergencies of the General Directorate of Public Health, Quality and Innovation under the Ministry of Health of Spain issued the following statement:
“On December 31, 2019, the Wuhan Municipal Health and Sanitation Commission (Hubei Province, China) reported on a cluster of 27 cases of pneumonia of unknown etiology with onset of symptoms on December 8, including seven severe cases, with common exposure to a wholesale seafood, fish and live animal market in Wuhan City, without identifying the source of the outbreak. The market was closed on January 1, 2020. On January 7, 2020, the Chinese authorities identified a new type of virus in the family Coronaviridae, which has been called SARS-CoV-2, as the agent causing the outbreak. The genetic sequence was shared by Chinese authorities on January 12. The International Health Regulations Emergency Committee (IHR, 2005) has declared the current outbreak of the new coronavirus as a Public Health Emergency of International Importance (ESPII) at its meeting on January 30, 2020. Report available at: https: / /www.who.int/news-room/detail/30-01-2020-statement-on-the-second-meeting-of-the-international-health-regulations-(2005)-emergency-committee-regarding-the -outbreak-of-novel-coronavirus- (2019-ncov). The WHO has named this new disease COVID-19 (infectious disease caused by coronavirus -19). ”
It quickly spread throughout China and began to affect other countries in the same region (South Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asian countries). Subsequently, cases were detected in the Middle East and it jumped to Europe with an initial outbreak in Italy, currently spreading to all European countries. (From Tomas, p. 34)
2.1.4. PREVENTION
Prevention is the most effective therapeutic tool we have at the moment. (SalusPlay, p. 27)
To prevent transmission, the general community should do the following:
- Avoid frequenting closed spaces with crowds of people.
- Keep at least one meter away from people with respiratory symptoms from COVID-19 (for example, cough or sneeze).
- Perform frequent hand hygiene with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if your hands are not visibly dirty (for 20 to 30 seconds) or with soap and water when your hands are visibly dirty (for 40 to 60 seconds).
- In case of coughing or sneezing, the nose and mouth should be covered with the inside of the flexed elbow or with a handkerchief, and immediately after using it, discard the handkerchief and perform hand hygiene.
- Avoid touching your nose and mouth.
- The healthy general population does not need to wear masks.
2.1. THE SITUATION IN BOLIVIA.
2.1.1. START OF THE QUARANTINE
The Government declared a national emergency for the confirmation of two cases of coronavirus in Bolivia. The determination was made at a meeting of national authorities with governors and mayors at the Casa Grande del Pueblo.
“The national government is declaring a national emergency. This allows the government to streamline the funds necessary to curb the virus and simultaneously attend to any contingency that may arise, ”the Minister of the Presidency, Yerko Núñez, reported a moment ago at a press conference.
Nuñez clarified that the borders will not be closed but the voluntary isolation of people who have the symptoms of the disease that put the planet on edge will be implemented.
The Minister of the Presidency also said that the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends not to suspend classes in schools as it happened in Oruro because there is no evidence of community contagion.
President Añez demanded unity to confront the coronavirus before the confirmation of two cases and asked to put aside the electoral campaign. (Page Seven, March 11, 2020)
2.1.2. TOTAL QUARANTINE
Bolivia is another of the countries in the region that declared a total quarantine, effective for the next 14 days, with the purpose of stopping the pandemic of the new coronavirus COVID-19, which already registers 24 cases in the country.
The Bolivian government has determined that supply centers and markets will be open in the mornings until noon and that only one person per family will be able to leave home to shop.
The interim government’s health minister, Aníbal Cruz, confirmed this Sunday at a press conference four new positive cases of COVID-19 in the country. Most infections in Bolivia are registered in the department of Santa Cruz (13), followed by Oruro (8), Cochabamba (2) and La Paz with one.
In turn, the Defense Minister, Fernando López, referred to the people who breach the quarantine. “It cannot be that while some Bolivians risk their lives, others take it lightly,” he said.
He said that people’s behavior “is not ideal.” “It does not reach us with 98% immobility, we are going to defeat the coronavirus only with 100% compliance with the measure,” said López.
The quarantine applied in the country as of this Sunday covers transportation, public and private, which was suspended. However, permits have been issued to transport workers, whose companies must continue to operate, as well as for people who work in health services, the media and other essential areas related to water, electricity and gas.
Production centers and transportation of merchandise in the family basket will continue to operate normally, while banking will continue to provide services. Pharmacies, hospitals and health centers will be open normally and on alert.
“In the markets there is no control. People come with their families, it is not more than a meter away. There are many people who transit and can be a transmitter of the virus,” said a housewife.
Government Minister Arturo Murillo indicated that the measure is fulfilled in more than 90% throughout the Bolivian territory and that they will be rigorous in enforcing the provisions of the health emergency decree. Murillo said they will be relentless with violators. (El Clarín, March 22, 2020)
2.1.1. SITUATION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF LA PAZ, IN THE CITY OF EL ALTO, THE RIO SECO AREA
With respect to the alteña population, most of the people have knowledge about this disease. We wonder why they don’t take preventive measures? They know, but they believe they are immune to this disease, they do not know the magnitude of this COVID19, but they do not inquire, they do not investigate, they believe that everything is false, that it is political propaganda. Not all, but mostly yes.
El Alto is characterized by fairs, of great concurrence. Most of the population of this city are merchants, it is their main source of income, which often covers only basic needs: food, clothing, basic services (water, electricity, gas), among other essentials. If they do not go to the fair to sell, they are left without income and will not be able to support their families.
The covid19 definitely affected the merchants leaving them without income.
This caused the population to become angry and take drastic measures against their government, disobeying any order or mandate issued by its president. “People continue to sell despite this disease, they are aware of what they are doing, but necessity forces them,” commented a neighbor of the Rio Seco Zone. (Pan American March 27, 2020)
“The coronavirus does not exist, they say it is an invention.” “There are whimsical people who don’t want to be quarantined.” “My daughter showed me videos of what is happening in Italy and China, it is scary.” Those are some of the phrases that are heard in the middle of the alteña fairs. There, in the youngest city in Bolivia, the crowds continue and very few use chinstraps or alcohol. There is no control and no information.
In El Alto, disinformation, political speeches and a lack of sanitary control mean that the quarantine is carried out with serious shortcomings. Neighbors ask for rigor and deny being part of the disturbances that occurred at the beginning of the measure. Traders argue that they live daily and cannot stop working. Authorities tightened the restrictions.
“The previous week, a group of people confronted the police at the former Rio Seco bar in rejection of the quarantine. They built bonfires and burned a poster of the President. They are not people from the area. Neighbors want the restriction to be met because we are afraid of getting sick, ”says one of the neighborhood leaders, Nicolás Mamani.
Theirs is one of the most important commercial neighborhoods of El Alto. It is the connection point with the La Paz provinces. In its surroundings the Last station of the Blue cable car, the third level hospital of the North and the largest Multiplex in Bolivia were located. Scrambled coexist restaurants, medical centers, grocery stores, hardware stores, the internet, accommodation, street stalls and street vendors.
Twice a week – Tuesday and Thursday – one of the important fairs of El Alto is installed in its streets. Hundreds of vendors set up their stalls and seem to disappear among a sea of buyers. Anyone who reaches the market enters a riot in which keeping distance is impossible.
“They come from all areas. If a person who is ill with coronavirus or any other contagious disease arrives, this place would be a focus of infection ”, warns Don Nicolás.
On March 23, the Minister of Public Works, Iván Arias, reported that last weekend the areas of Senkata, Puente Vela and Río Seco arrested more than a hundred people who refused to comply with the quarantine, accused them having starred in riots in which police and ambulances were stoned.
These groups argue that quarantine is a political measure. They resist the presence of the police because they believe that the uniformed officers caused Evo Morales to resign from the presidency.
“None of those who were in those conflicts was from the area. We are not the fairgrounds either. We only leave during the day at the time indicated, “says Doña Rosa.
She is one of the merchants that every Tuesday and Thursday goes to the former Rio Seco bar to sell a series of products. Now she came walking and pushing an iron cart with several divisions.
“There are some whimsical people who don’t want to be quarantined. But it is also understood because if we do not sell what we are going to live on, how we are going to supply the families, ”she says.
It is part of the more than 70% of the inhabitants of El Alto that are estimated to be engaged in informal commerce. According to data from the Mayor of Altea, in recent years, this sector has copied and expanded by eight strategic points in the young city.
“We live daily, if we don’t work we don’t eat. That is why we do not agree, “says Doña Antonia. She does not want to be identified and is somewhat reluctant to speak. “Besides, there is no coronavirus, it is an invention,” he adds.
Her argument is repeated in other sellers and also in buyers. They believe that they want to have the military and police on the streets to maintain a transitional government for much longer.
And it is that disinformation is what reigns. What is known about the pandemic comes through rumors that spread by word of mouth or by WhatsApp messages that the diseases are invented for political purposes.
“The neighbors are serving quarantine. But it is useless if the crowds of people coming from other areas are not well controlled. Okay, they have to stock up, but the cleaning nor distance rules are not respected. Entire families come in full mobility, ”warns Don Nicolás.
But the former Rio Seco bar is not the only place with problems. Senkata also held its fair as did Villa Dolores. In this last neighborhood there were also fights with the police. (Page Seven, March 29, 2020)
2.1.1. SITUATION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PANDO, IN THE CITY OF COBIJA, DISTRICT 6
The Ministry of Health confirmed the first case of coronavirus in the Pando department. This is a 67-year-old male, who arrived in Cobija on March 18 from the city of La Paz. (http://www.perladelacre.com/primer-caso-confirmado-de-coronavirus-en-pando/)
The director of the headquarters, Kuniaki Murakami, reported that the patient is isolated at home, initially it was named as a blue code, then, following the safety protocols, samples were taken at the National Health Fund (CNS) for analysis in the city from La Paz, where coronavirus was positive.
Likewise, it asks the people who were transported on the airline of the Amazonas company on March 18 -from La Paz to Cobija- to contact Headquarters to carry out epidemiological surveillance, care and prevention of Covid-19.
Murakami recommended that the population remain calm, have the necessary citizens in their homes, that is, wash their hands, disinfect their rooms, etc. Similarly, he urged the population to respect quarantine, since this is the best way to control the pandemic.
In turn, the governor of Pando, Luis Adolfo Flores, reported that the disinfection will be carried out in health centers, homes, streets and other places where the person may have transited. (http://www.perladelacre.com/primer-caso-confirmado-de-coronavirus-en-pando/)
- BIBLIOGRAPHIC REVIEW METHODOLOGY ACCORDING TO THE ETHNOGRAPHIC METHOD
It is the direct study of an individual or a certain group of people during a certain period of time, which consists of preparing detailed descriptions of the various situations, events, interactions and behavior that are observable, taking into account what the participants say , their experiences, attitudes and thoughts, which means that they are looking to study what we are, what we do and the individual essence of a certain population to make it their main instrument of observation to produce knowledge through every little detail.
And one of the most important characteristics is that it seeks to capture the reason why people perform their actions and their reactions to the world around them. (https://www.psyma.com/company/news/message/la-etnografia-como-heráculo-en-la-investigacioncualitiva#:~:text=Anthony%20Giddens%2C%20soci%C3%B3logo%2C% 20% defines, 20% are used in% 20 research% C3% B3n% 20 qualitative.)
We found differences in behavior between these two cities since in Pando they are characterized by being more extroverts, that is, more open with those who surround them, whereas in La Paz it happens, on the contrary, they are very shy introverts. Regarding cultural events and interactions, we can find that the department of La Paz has a wide variety of activities such as: prestes, folk entrances, processions, ancestral rituals, among others. While in the Pando department they do not emphasize this type of activities.
Added to this is the difference in political thought, where there is a clear line on what is left and right, however, there is a group that remains on the sidelines, thus having neutral thinking about such situations.