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When in March 2020 Europe had already descended into a state of crisis, deceptive calm still reigned in Central Asia. The crisis-tested region did not seem overly concerned by the advent of the new lung disease. Officially, there were neither cases nor patients. It was just a virus, albeit a strange and – reputedly – aggressive one.

Kyrgyzstan, with its 6.5 million inhabitants, had already closed its borders with China at the end of January as a precautionary measure. Time would tell what would happen next... At the end of March, after the virus had been detected in new arrivals at the airport in the capital Bishkek, the authorities reacted immediately with a strict nationwide lockdown. As in Europe, people started exchanging little anecdotes about quarantine and various absurdities brought about by the new situation. The older ones among them silently remembered other emergencies.

Even in Kyrgyzstan, they had never seen anything like it. They were fighting against an intangible enemy. In the best season of the year, they were supposed to stay at home, defy the invisible opponent and – as if that alone wasn't enough – they would not be able to make any money.

Their anxiety was not specific, but their fear was.

What would summer bring? No tourists and no other guests - that much was certain. In recent years, this small, picturesque mountainous country has become an insider tip among backpackers, adventurers and wayfaring romantics from all over the world. Freedom, nature and animals, as well as friendly and refreshing people. Accommodation was well booked up for the 2020 season. Theoretically.

And what will happen in autumn or even in winter?

Until the pandemic, a quarter of the working Kyrgyz population had earned their money abroad, mainly in Russia. These migrant workers were also affected by the pandemic, they would lose their jobs and less financial support would go to Kyrgyzstan...

The lockdown ended at the end of May. Kyrgyzstan could finally make up for the two months they had lost, as far as was possible. And above all, they could start earning again, quickly. Back to normality. Repay borrowed money. Get back in the minibus, drive to the market again. Sell, shop, exchange. Feel alive. Meet again, wherever possible. Eight weeks of isolation were more than enough. With so few actual cases, the pandemic had obviously passed by. They had already paid adequately for the invisible problem. The pictures from Italy, New York and other hot spots around the world were seemingly completely forgotten. The focus was the here and now. Life was meant to go on. It just had to.

This feeling lasted two weeks that turned out to be two very significant weeks.

While public attention was on an invasion of locusts raiding neighboring Central Asian countries, the pandemic, all of a sudden, at last broke out in Kyrgyzstan.

The number of atypical pneumonia sufferers linked to COVID-19 has been increasing steadily since mid-June. That doesn't sound very dramatic. But for a country with only 6.5 million inhabitants, up to 1,000 new cases of COVID-19 and associated atypical pneumonia, and up to 80 fatalities a day, is an incomparable disaster. For more than three weeks now, reality has looked like this:

The hospitals are overcrowded, doctors, nurses and other medical personnel are exhausted and suffering from COVID-19 themselves, or have already died of it.

Around 30,000 Kyrgyz have contracted COVID since the pandemic began, around 2,500 doctors and medical staff are amongst them. 1,123 people died from the virus.On July 22 this year, 1,108 Kyrgyz officially became infected, 44 died.

Many hotels, restaurants or schools have been temporarily converted into medical emergency centers. Hospitals and pharmacies are overwhelmed, not least because there is a lack of medication.

Yes, we are living through a global pandemic. Yes, the whole world is in a state of emergency and in many parts of the world the situation resembles the state of affairs in Kyrgyzstan.Yet, despite that, reality on the ground looks different here.The numbers in Kyrgyzstan speak for themselves. On July 22 this year, Kyrgyzstan held the world record for new infections and fatalities per capita according to the New York Times 

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/world/coronavirus-maps.html

For this reason, the Kyrgyz diaspora, various associations and groups around the world that are connected to Kyrgyzstan and are watching the situation with great concern, launched a varied relief effort.

The people of Kyrgyzstan urgently need medication, oxygen and ventilators, suits and other personal protective equipment (PPE), qualitative laboratory testing kits, and mobile x-ray equipment.

The people of Kyrgyzstan urgently need the assistance and support of people around the world.

This small country must not be forgotten just because the people there no longer have the strength to speak out.

Maren Ernst.                                                  Uplift-Aufwind e.V. – July 23rd, 2020
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