The surprising success of Covid-19 travel bans

Worldly

Vox Media Podcast Network

News, Politics, News Commentary

4.4 • 1.8K Ratings

🗓️ 29 April 2021

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Zack, Jenn, and Alex are joined by special guest Julia Belluz, Vox's senior health correspondent, to talk about how Vietnam has managed to keep its total coronavirus deaths to just 35 — yes, you read that right, 35 — in part by completely sealing its borders with one of the world’s strictest travel bans. The gang discusses what led Vietnam to take such drastic measures, why they seem to have worked so well, and whether replicating that approach in other countries currently experiencing outbreaks is feasible now that the virus is so widespread. Then they zoom out to look at whether we can take lessons from Vietnam’s experience when thinking about how to deal with the next pandemic. References: Here’s Julia’s excellent piece for Vox on how Vietnam handled Covid-19. Vietnam has long been a Covid-19 success story. Vox wrote about it here and here. Check out Vox’s “Pandemic Playbook” series, featuring work from friend-of-the-show Jen Kirby on Senegal. The Hindustan Times notes that the farmers’ protest didn’t lead to India’s second wave. Here’s Kirby’s piece for Vox on India and its second wave. The Atlantic published a piece in 2020 about why the pandemic meant the post-9/11 era was over. Hosts: Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), senior correspondent, Vox Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth), senior foreign editor, Vox Alex Ward (@AlexWardVox), White House reporter, Vox Consider contributing to Vox: If you value Worldly’s work, please consider making a contribution to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts More to explore: Subscribe for free to Today, Explained, Vox’s daily podcast to help you understand the news, hosted by Sean Rameswaram. About Vox: Vox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Follow us: Vox.com Newsletter: Vox Sentences Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	In a lot of countries, like the United States, the coronavirus pandemic has only gotten
0:12.9	even like a little under control after the introduction of vaccines.
0:17.1	In other places like India, the virus is rampaging out of control.
0:20.8	But in Vietnam, there have only been 35 deaths from coronavirus, 35 that is not an understatement,
0:27.7	it's not 35,000, it's literally 35 total deaths.
0:32.3	So what did Vietnam do right and what lessons can that have for places in the world today
0:36.1	that are still dealing with significant outbreaks?
0:38.5	That's what we're going to talk about today and worldly.
0:40.1	Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network, I'm Zach Beacham here with John Williams and Alex
0:44.2	Ward.
0:45.2	That's normal, you're all used to it, but we've got a special guest today to talk about
0:48.3	Vietnam.
0:49.3	Julia Beluz, who is Vox's senior correspondent covering health, hello, Julia.
0:53.7	Hello.
0:54.7	Thanks for having me.
0:55.8	We're very excited to have Julia on, not only because she wrote an excellent piece about
0:59.6	the Vietnamese experience in a big Vox package on lessons learned during the pandemic,
1:05.7	but also because she's coming to us from Austria as Alex did for a period of time, making
1:10.2	it an extra special worldly episode in a number of different senses.
1:14.2	So we're very pumped to be having this international conversation today.
1:19.0	But I guess probably we should start talking about Vietnam.
1:21.4	Now your piece, Julia, centers on one particular policy area that seems to have been really successful
	...

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