When chef Eric Sze wakes up in New York City, he often watches video clips of his friends in Taiwan singing karaoke on Instagram. “It’s always the first thing I see in the morning,” Sze, co-founder of Taiwanese restaurant 886, told NBC Asian America. “Nothing like starting the day with a new dose of FOMO” – or fear of losing.
Sze said he was jealous to see his parents, grandparents and friends in Taiwan – where there are less than 1,000 total cases of coronavirus in a population of more than 23 million – leading their normal lives as the U.S. struggles with blockages, new variants of the virus, a slower-than-expected vaccine release and an unfathomable 400,000 lives lost.
It is a common feeling shared by many Asian Americans watching their family and friends in Asian countries, such as Taiwan, South Korea, Mongolia, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia, where widespread use of masks, experience with previous pandemics and government leadership that included quarantines and emergency cash payments have led to extremely low infection rates.
“I think my biggest frustration is the lack of community support as a country,” said Sze of the United States. “I understand that bipartisan politics tend to divide the country, but a part of me thought that humanity would always come before politics – apparently not.”
Sze, whose restaurant raised nearly $ 150,000 to provide 15,000 meals to hospitals and shelters during the darkest days of the New York pandemic, said his family in Taiwan is “concerned, but not surprised” about America’s response to Covid- 19: “The price of perceived freedom seems to be exponential with pandemics.”
When Carla Doan, a Las Vegas resident, sees images of her family in Vietnam being carefree and socializing, she said it makes her want to live a normal, unmasked life in the United States.
In Vietnam, led by Communists, the public feels a shared ownership of Covid-19, according to public health experts, and has overwhelmingly supported his government’s swift response.
Despite a border wall with China and a population of 96 million, Vietnam reported less than 2,000 cases in total and 35 deaths during the pandemic.
Last January, the deputy prime minister ordered Vietnam’s ministries to take drastic measures to prevent the spread of the virus, such as blocking and evacuating cities, imposing travel restrictions, closing the border with China and labor intensive operation. contact tracking.
Visitors and people potentially exposed to the virus were sent to free quarantine centers for two weeks, and the government regularly communicated with the public and sent text messages to phones telling people how to protect themselves in the best way.
“I think the difference [between Vietnam and the U.S.] is that when the government says to do something, everyone follows the guidelines, ”said Doan. “I just wish that our leaders here had done what they did.”
Doan said she is frustrated that half of Americans seem to follow the masquerade commandments and the rules of social detachment, but “because the other half is unwilling”, it makes her feel that her efforts are worthless.
His 16-month-old son was unable to throw a party on his first birthday because of the pandemic and Doan is not sure if he will be able to have one on his second birthday as well.
Some Asian Americans knew that Asian collectivist countries would manage the virus and reopen faster than the United States, because they value the needs of a group.
Diana Choi, who lived in South Korea when she was a young adult and now resides in Dallas, said that South Korea was able to run Covid-19 because its people are “community-focused” and not individualistic.
The hyper-connected country of 51 million has benefited from free, rapid testing and expansive tracking technology. South Korea also learned lessons from the mistakes made during the spread of MERS in 2015.
“I knew that they would take precautions, always wear a mask and social distance because they are very afraid of what people would think of them if they didn’t,” said Choi. “In America, wearing a mask is politicized when it really shouldn’t be.”
When she sees family and friends in South Korea walking or going out to eat, Choi – who has a heart condition that makes her a risk for complications in Covid – said she is “jealous that they are in a place where people are care about other people and take precautions. “
Choi’s parents live in Gwanju, South Korea, and often ask their daughter about the health care system in the United States. “They say America is a laughing stock,” said Choi. “America should be the strongest country, but they see us so divided and chaotic because of a pandemic.”
She said South Korea’s universal health system also makes a difference.
“This [health care] it is not a privilege there, which was another factor that contributed to them testing people quickly and putting everything under control, ”explained Choi. “I talk to my mom every day and they get updates if there’s a Covid patient around. Here, we have no idea who has it and many people don’t think it’s a very big problem. “
Of course, not all Asian Americans are jealous of what is happening in Asian countries. While South Korea, a democratic republic, has been innovative and transparent with its citizens, countries with authoritarian control like Cambodia have been accused by human rights experts of falsifying case numbers and using the pandemic to undermine the rule of law. .
In Cambodia, a nation of about 16 million, fewer than 500 infections have occurred and no deaths have been reported.
Some believe that the low Covid-19 rates in Cambodia are due to the fact that three quarters of its population live in rural areas and spend a lot of time outdoors. Others say that test rates are low and that the Cambodian People’s Party, led by Prime Minister Hun Sen, does not tell the whole story.
“The government does not give real numbers,” said Sindy Barretto, who lives in Pepperell, Massachusetts, and has a family in Siem Reap and Battambang, Cambodia. “The prime minister is running for election, so he will try to portray this image of security and that he has everything under control.”
Barretto keeps in touch with her relatives abroad via Facebook and said that when she saw pictures of them meeting in large groups, she “felt sorry for them” that they were not safe.
She believes that Cambodia is losing lives to Covid-19, but that the deaths are classified as being caused by heat stroke or a heart attack, based on conversations Barretto had with relatives.
Although Cambodia’s rates may be higher than reported, its hospitals are not overburdened like in the US or Europe.
At the beginning of the pandemic, Cambodia temporarily closed its borders to foreigners, mainly from the West, and closed schools and entertainment venues. The country also quarantined some 30,000 clothing workers.
Although the Trump administration’s treatment of Covid-19 has been widely criticized by public health officials at home and abroad, President Joe Biden recently launched a $ 1.9 trillion Covid-19 aid package with the goal of vaccinating 150 million people and reopen schools in its first 100 days. He is also implementing a 100-day federal mask mandate and deploying FEMA and the National Guard to establish vaccine clinics across the country.
“People in Asia definitely laugh at America because they say we are supposed to be a first world country and now we are dying at a faster rate than they are,” said Barretto. “I still think that we are doing a wonderful job [in the U.S.] because we’re taking precautions. If we didn’t do all this social distance or put on a mask, I think we would be worse off. It is what it is now. “