This PECE Essay contains selected answers to the following interview question from the COVID-19 Rapid Student Interview Project:
What is your view of the way governments at different levels -- city, county, state, national -- has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic?
Responses are grouped by themes, and will be updated periodically as more interviews are conducted.
de la Torre III, Pedro. 2020. "Governing the Pandemic," COVID-19 Rapid Student Interview Project, TRANSnational STS COVID-19 Project. STS-Disaster Research Network.
"A bit messy."
-Realtor (Union County, NJ, USA)
March 2020 Phone Interview
by NJIT Student Researcher
"First, I think the government did not have the care they should have had. They did not implement rules to truly take care of the population. They already knew of cases present here in Spain and they were aware that people from the country that was turning into an epicenter for the virus, which was Italy, were coming to Spain, which is one of the main reasons as to why Spain rapidly became infected. So I think that in the beginning, they did not take sufficient measures whilst already having evidence of what was happening.
Afterwards, I think that they have been acting in a very cautious way. They have implemented a very strict quarantine, there are many security measures in place, such as the national guard and police. I think that after seeing the magnitude of the issue, they placed very strict rules, but I still think they took too long.
I do think that they took too long to assist our most vulnerable population, which is why the most deaths have taken place in the retirement and nursing homes. Spain is an 'old country,' where the number of people above age 75 is very high, so they did not take care of the elderly with the maximum priority. I think this is another area where the government acted late. I believe they always knew how to respond, just never in a timely manner."
-Post-secondary educator (Aragon, Spain)
March 2020 Videochat Interview
by Jeannie Chuquirima
"While Singapore is a small country, I've seen small scale regulations/enforcements such as restrictions in entering malls or food courts and there was also a distribution of masks to households. So far, there has only been minor impacts to my livestyle and I feel that the government is taking it in the right direction."
-Undergraduate Student (Republic of Singapore)
March 2020 Interview
by NJIT Student Researcher
"From my perspective, speaking mainly at the New Jersey state level, the government has had an incredibly poor response to the pandemic and is only recently starting to make beneficial changes. On a local level there aren't nearly enough testing sites available, nor are they cost effective for the average person. The initial curfew imposed was a temporary, and in my opinion destrimental, solution as the government should have gone straight to lockdown due to the potential risks that come with COVID19. It is my understanding that the US government has been aware of the virus since December 2019 but has only now started to implement more effective testing methods. Beneficial programs such as rent freezes and emergency funding have been different from state to state and enacted extremely late. On the national level, President Trump only declared a state of emergency on March 13, despite many other states already being declared beforehand. Personally, I think a state of disaster would have been more appropriate than a state of emergency as well. I think that the US response has been far less impactful with respect to outbreak mitigation and prevention than the majority of other countries."
-Undergraduate Student, Waiter (Ewing, New Jersey, USA)
March 2020 Phone interview
by Nikhil Ramesh
"State- I feel that all the states with the highest amounts of cases are doing a good job of containing the outbreak, with the exception of Florida. National- I think that President Trump is doing a great job in orchestrating relief efforts"
-Pharmacy Technician (Pennsylvania, USA)
March 2020 Face to face interview
by NJIT Student Researcher
"Right now, India is on lockdown, and that brought coronavirus cases in control. I cannot believe we beat china in coronavirus cases when corona started in China. That just shows that the U.S government needs to have proper rules and do something major about it. I believe that lockdown is one of the ways to decrease COVID cases. People are not taking it seriously here, and we only have like a night lockdown. The government needs to have proper rules and regulations, so it is taken seriously. The prime minister of India said they are keeping India on lockdown for a little bit of more time"
-Undergraduate Student (Jersey City, NJ, USA)
March 2020 Text-based Interview
Yuktaben Shah
"I think the government is responding in a slightly professional way."
-Undergraduate Student (Alexandria, Egypt)
March 2020 Text-based interview
by Ahmed Mohamed
"Federal stimulus check does not do much to help citizens."
-Undergraduate Student (Jersey City, NJ, USA)
March 2020 Videochat interview
by Dominik Zmuda
"I personally believe that the authorities are doing everything they can to slow the spread of COVID-19. I think that not everyone is following the guidelines like they are supposed to which is why it is taking us a long period of time to get passed the dangerous level."
-Undergraduate Student (Jackson, NJ, USA)
March 2020 E-mail Interview
by Sandra Guirguess
"As a community we have been pretty good about it. Except some people in our town that don't care. Other than that the response has been good."
-Undergraduate student / Food service worker (Bergen County , NJ, USA)
March 2020 Text-based Interview
by NJIT Student Researcher
"The state of Florida has taken this issue responsibly however was late to taken action to it"
-Personal Trainer (Brevard County, FL, US)
March 2020 Text-based interview
by NJIT Student Researcher
"Though it started a bit late, I think America has been handling this relatively well. I think that preventing the virus from spreading isn't that complicated; the best we can do is shut everything down and keep everyone inside. What's complicated are the effects of doing so, namely the economic effects. I definitely think the stimulus bill and the $1200 to citizens is a great idea. As far as health services, the US has been doing surprisingly well considering the incompetence of our health care system. The fact that we have a low number of deaths relative to cases in the US is great, and I have full confidence that we will be quick to recover."
-Undergraduate Student (Brick, NJ, USA)
March 2020 Text-based interview
by Nour Mohamed
"One thing I noticed in terms of multi-level coordination is that I do not think the best channels of communication exist between government levels. Information is often different within the federal, state, and local levels. I think overall, the government has responded fairly well to the pandemic. However, I do think that these agencies being on the same page 100% of the time will help people who are not trusting in government to trust them more."
-Undergraduate Student (Freehold, NJ, USA)
March 2020 E-mail Interview
by Sandra Guirguess
"The president is not handling this well. I really do not like him or the way he is handling this. He is not helping the community and is only filled with empty promises. He is 'all talk, no game.' As soon as the pandemic got here he tucked tail and ran away. This pandemic has reveled so many holes in this healthcare system and it baffles me on why people have not started to see this."
-Undergraduate Student (Ramsey, New Jersey, USA)
March 2020 Text-based Interview
by NJIT Student Researcher
"The way my city has responded is great. The city officials have thoroughly responded to the situation at hand with precision and caution. This view also applies to the state as well. Governor Murphy has been making great decisions that will keep NJ's economy strong while also prioritizing the safety of the state's citizens. As a country, I believe that there are some questionable decisions. States that have not been affected as much as NJ and NY are not taking this situation as seriously as they should be. I think some more socialist ideas should be put into the federal government to help offset the economic implications of this pandemic. The stimulus package is a great start."
-Undergraduate Student (Brick, New Jersey, United States)
March 2020 Interview
by Nour Mohamed
"I think state and city officials are taking this more seriously than the national government. The president thought it was fake and now he still seems to be more interested in money than the citizens."
-Auditor (Bergen County, NJ, USA)
March 2020 Paper Interview
by NJIT Student Researcher
"I think our federal government has done what they could to protect our country to the best of their ability, but I am angered by some of the late actions taken by Mayor DeBlasio, as many parents and teachers at my school have been directly affected by the virus. I think schools should have been closed a lot earlier."
-Primary School Educator (Staten Island, NY, USA)
March 2020 Face to Face Interview
by NJIT Student Interview
"State government has taken excellent steps and National government is not that effective."
-Undergraduate Student (Alberta, Canada)
March 2020 Phone Interview
by NJIT Student Researcher
"I think my state and county governments have been handling this pandemic well by giving support to the families that are adversely impacted by the pandemic. I feel the federal government could have taken precautions earlier and enforced social distancing."
-IT Director (Mercer County)
March 2020 Face to face interview
by NJIT Student Researcher
"Would like to see a little more bipartisan cooperation, that would be a little more stabilizing."
-Private School Administration (Gillette, NJ, USA)
March 2020 Phone Interview
by NJIT Student Researcher
"I feel like most authorities are doing the best they can to prevent the spread of the virus, however, I think there should be a law against people who have no manners and do not show any signs of responsibility towards other people in their community."
-Engineer (Jackson, NJ, USA)
March 2020 E-mail Interview
by NJIT Student Researcher
"I find that local and state governments have been doing a great job and making smart decisions. National government has been an embarrassment and failed the people - at least in the USA"
-Scientist (Morris County, NJ, USA)
March 2020 Paper interview
by NJIT Student Researcher
"I do not want martial law situation to happen. However, I feel--even though im a Republican--I feel all countries should get on the same page to combat it. Some states are completely closed down where others are back in action. I just feel we need to get on the same page."
-Undergraduate Student (Edison, NJ, USA)
March 2020 Face to face interview
by NJIT Student Researcher
"When this all started I thought the media was blowing it up too much. And Trump did not have much to say, only saying it's in China and wont make it here. Now it seems like he's very out of touch with everything that is happening and governor Cuomo's face is the poster child for this pandemic. It kind of seems like the authority is backwards--having a governor of one state speak more intensely on the subject the the president."
-Design/Sales (Edison, NJ, USA)
March 2020 Face to face interview
by NJIT Student Researcher
"It seems that the national government is more worried with the economy than helping out other states. I live in Central New Jersey, and we are currently the second hardest hit state. Living in the suburbs is definitely better than living in the city but it's still concerning. Our governor is doing a decent job from what I hear on the news. As far as local government in my county, I have seen nothing other than the local soccer fields and parks be closed down."
-Computer Technician (Middlesex County, NJ, United States)
March 2020 Face to face interview
by NJIT Student Researcher
"I feel like all states are not in unison when it comes to rules and regulations, therefore I respect and obey but I don't necessary agree with that they are doing"
-Undergraduate Student (Garfield, NJ, USA)
March 2020 Face to face interview
by NJIT Student Researcher
"State official seem to be doing their best to deal with the pandemic. But, I see a lack of effort from the President."
-Undergraduate Student (South Brunswick, NJ, USA)
March 2020 Videochat Interview
by Prithvi Gosala
"The city and county haven't done anything for me. The state has sent me ventilators that were overdue for preventive maintenance and little to no supplies making it difficult to do my job. I think the Governor is doing a decent job even though I don't agree with him. I think the President is doing an outstanding job with this. He is doing everything right, however, the Congress is working against the American people during these difficult times. They should be ashamed of themselves. The states should have been stockpiling ventilators and supplies over the years. They chose not to and then blame the President. It's not his responsibility to purchase this for them. The states and past administrations should be held accountable for their actions. cutting money from budgets for this is inexcusable."
-Engineer (Edison, New Jersey, USA)
March 2020 Face to face interview
by NJIT Student Researcher
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"Interviewee stated 'Virginia wise we are doing pretty great.' She states because of the governor declaring a state emergency and enforcing a state wide lockdown till June 10 this was a good idea. Feels like the national government isn't doing everything in their power to help this crisis."
-Certified Nursing Assistant (Staunton, Virginia, USA)
Notes from March 2020 Phone Interview
by Jonathan Grabiel-Pabon
"[I] feel the local government at State level is doing a better job than the national."
-Business Owner (Somerset, NJ, USA)
March 2020 Interview
by Prithvi Gosala
"I feel that every level has different ways of controlling their people. Individuals also can take everything into their own hands and not follow any rules. Recently, I found out that the police is able to ticket people if thy are not practicing social distancing properly. But I don't understand how one person has the power to decide what proper social distancing is."
-Undergraduate Student (Middlesex County, NJ, USA)
March 2020 Videochat interview
by Shivani Patel
"I feel that our local officials have not been very visible during this pandemic. However, I feel that the governors of New Jersey and New York are handling things very well. Our national leaders are handling things as good as can be expected."
-Hospital Accountant (Middlesex County, NJ, USA)
March 2020 Face to face interview
by NJIT Student Researcher
"I don't agree with the way our country has handled the COVID-19 pandemic, I think we strained our resources by not taking drastic measures when we should have. On the other hand, I think New Jersey has handled the crisis well, implementing curfews and stay-at-home orders in accordance with the number of cases."
-Undergraduate Student (Moonachie, NJ, USA)
March 2020 Text-based interview
by NJIT Student Researcher
"The governments should [have] required warehouse to have more disinfected products available for workers and they should provide the testing for everyone for free."
-Undergraduate Student (Kearny, NJ, USA)
March 2020 E-mail Interview
by NJIT Student Researcher
"I believe at a national level, the country should have acted earlier when it was first brought up in China. The US government has so many laws and policies that it takes a while to make testing faster. I believe testing could be quicker. I had a patient sit in an ICU unit for 10 days to just wait for results. He was a "walky talky" patient, which means ambulatory patient (he admitted himself, he was able to bring himself into the hospital). So 10 days of expenses were spent for a patient to be tested. If testing occurred quicker, we could test more patients in the same amount of time."
-Registered Nurse (Middlesex County, NJ, USA)
March 2020 Face to face interview
by Shivani Patel
"I believe that the government on every level is doing the best that they can. This is an unprecedented pandemic and I think they are human just like us trying to figure out what is best for our country, states, and cities."
-Respiratory Therapist (Havertown, Pennsylvania, USA)
March 2020 E-mail Interview
by NJIT Student Researcher
"The CDC along with our leaders are not ready for the pandemic. When China was in quarantine we should have started then. I believe restaurants should be closed. Social isolation and distancing the key. We as a nation is still not ready."
-Registered Nurse in an Emergency Room (Union, NJ, USA)
March 2020 Phone interview
by NJIT Student Researcher
"I feel they should have taken more serious steps compared to present situations because day by day covid 19 is increasing exponentially. I think they should announce complete lock down."
-Undergraduate Student (TN, USA)
March 2020 Phone Interview
by NJIT Student Researcher
"I think precautions are very necessary and good, but I fear that we may have shot ourself in the foot as a result of overreaction."
-Telecomm Worker (Staten Island, NY, USA)
March 2020 Text-based interview
by NJIT Student Researcher
"I think the government has been doing as much as they can, after making the mistake of not acting fast. Due to the mistake, we are left behind in responding to the crisis effectively. But I do believe the city, state and national governors have been trying their best to respond and save lives."
-Undergraduate Student (Jersey City, NJ, USA)
March 2020 Text-based interview
by Yuktaben Shah
