Global Observer

People have dinner in a hot pot restaurant as usual in China Featured Photo by Yunjia Hou
Oct.7,2020. Photo credit: Yunjia Hou

Analysis: How did China eliminate COVID-19 so quickly?

Yunjia Hou December 1, 2020

Life in China has returned to normal. But it took measures by a strong central government that probably would not work in many democratic countries, where politicians must be careful not to offend voters...

Featured photo by Lukasz Szmigiel on Unsplash

How long periods of isolation impact mental health and how nature can help

Sharmila Kuthunur September 29, 2020

The view from my Boston apartment’s balcony is calming - a vast stretch of trees as far as the eye can see. Before the pandemic, the hustle of daily life left me with little to no time to appreciate...

A cinema.

My first movie experience in China amid the coronavirus pandemic

Xiaoxi Ma August 11, 2020

There are signs that the coronavirus in China is on the wane, and one of them is that cinemas in low risk areas reopened in the fourth week of July, with plenty of precautions. Cinemas in China...

A Boston landscape.

Mass. announces travel rules, 14 day quarantine mandatory for travelers from ‘higher-risk’ states

Mihiro Shimano July 25, 2020

On July 24, Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker published new travel guidelines for people entering the state, whether through domestic or international travel. These new rules, which will be effective...

International flags represent diversity in the U.S.

DHS revokes rule that prevented international students from taking only online classes

Pavithra Rajesh July 15, 2020

This story will be updated periodically. Last updated: July 15 On July 14, the Department of Homeland Security reversed the previous announcement from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement...

Northeastern University.

Int’l students must leave US if studies go entirely online this fall. Here are Boston colleges’ reopening plans so far

Yuriko Schumacher July 8, 2020

This story will be updated periodically. Last updated: July 7 International students cannot stay in the country this fall if their college or university operates entirely online, according to...

A student studies near a laptop.

International students face extra challenges with online classes

Pavithra Rajesh July 6, 2020

Most college students across the U.S. experienced some form of virtual learning this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. International students who returned home after dorms closed faced an additional...

A bar in Rio disregards social distancing rules during the coronavirus pandemic.

Reopening Rio amid the coronavirus pandemic

Luiza Loyo June 29, 2020

Two weeks ago in Brazil, I went on my first drive after about 90 days of self-isolation. As I drove by the beach, I noticed a family of five with a little child, none of whom were wearing masks. It was...

Daily wage workers get supplies.

India’s daily wage workers cope with pandemic through public support

Sharmila Kuthunur May 27, 2020

India’s immediate enforcement of a nationwide lockdown since March 24 has left vulnerable communities in the country scrambling to sustain their livelihoods. Among those are India’s “daily wagers”...

International students cook during the coronavirus pandemic.

[Video] International students adapt to life in quarantine with home cooking

Huilin Li May 24, 2020

How do you cope with being quarantined in this pandemic, sometimes by yourself, in a foreign country? Spoiler alert: You become more creative and experimental in home cooking! Huilin Li interviewed...

A student walks through a library.

Starting a new school year in the middle of a pandemic

Mihiro Shimano May 24, 2020

As U.S. universities struggle to decide whether to start their fall semester online or in person, Japanese universities have already started their instructions online for the first semester of the year. The...

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