Stella Ktenas discusses the problems she experienced as an international fresher.
Tag: COVID-19
Find news, opinions, in-depth analyses, and more, relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. Articles include national and international stories, as well as ones exclusive to Oxford University, and the Oxford area in general.
Never in Isolation: HMS Defender, COVID-19 and illusions of control in Putin’s Russia
It was bound to happen. A Royal Navy destroyer on a routine voyage through the Black Sea decided to steam past Cape Fiolent, the southern peninsula of Russian-occupied Crimea. It triggered a frosty response by Russian border guards, and brusque words were exchanged between the British and Russian governments. Of course, respective accounts differed. The Read More…
On the Other Hand: State of the Nation
In the final instalment of his column, On the Other Hand, Hayden Barnes examines Dominic Cummings’s testimony in light of Matt Hancock’s resignation, and more broadly analyses the lack of accountability in government. Illustration by Rachel Macnaghten.
CW: racism, Islamophobia
‘All alone by the telephone’ – Loneliness in the time of coronavirus
A student discusses their experiences of loneliness upon entering their first year of university in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
Hotel-quarantine hacks, from an international fresher
In this article, Stella Ktenas talks about her experience with the the mandatory quarantine for international travellers and shares her tips to keep morale up during the time.
Oxford Ministers Join Church Leaders Warning Against Vaccine Passports
An open letter signed by over 1200 church leaders across the UK, including Oxford Ministers Glenn Nesbitt, Andy Young, and Phillip Dixon, warned that introducing vaccine passports “constitutes one of the most dangerous policy proposals ever to be made in the history of British politics”. The cross-denominational letter follows the government’s decision to review whether Read More…
Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill: A gateway to long term restrictions on the right to protest
Stella Ktenas highlights the permanent consequences of the The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill on the right to protest, and the similar erosion of protest rights in Australia.
“The timing of this bill amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic falsely appears to be guided by a utilitarian logic to derogate the right to protest in favour of public health. However, we should question whether the government is using the pandemic as a trojan horse to impose lasting restrictions on protest rights to thwart their visibility and impact”
A year on, what does the UK’s Covid story say about the government?
“Having now spent more time in my childhood bedroom than in Oxford since starting my course, I can’t help but ask: should we forgive the government’s initial mistakes and errors in light of the new vaccine success and limited knowledge we had of COVID a year ago?”
Sebastien Roberts analyses the UK government’s performance over the whole of the coronavirus pandemic so far.
Let’s talk Corona: the language of COVID-19
Rebecca Whant investigates how the English language has changed with the coronavirus pandemic.
Artwork by Rosa Bonnin
So Far, So Good: Explaining Britain’s Vaccination Success
“Dear British, we envy you,” read the cover of Bild, Germany’s best-selling newspaper, on 24th February. It’s clear why. Adjusted for population, the UK has given three times as many vaccinations as most of its European neighbours and continues to vaccinate at three times their rate. A key reason for the UK’s success is that Read More…