Behind the Mask

Baye Massene Diallo of Senegal Explains Curfews, Process of Arriving in the U.S.

WNYO 88.9 FM — Sat, 18 Sep 2021 13:20:00 +0000

At first, residents of Senegal were hesitant to wear their face masks until the government threatened to penalize those who didn't comply. Throughout the pandemic, the nation has never reached the point of lockdown, although they have declared a series of curfews along with state of emergency conditions.

Clarissa Karki of Nepal explains recession, government penalties

WNYO 88.9 FM — Sat, 11 Sep 2021 13:03:00 +0000

Resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, Nepal faced an economic recession, which resulted in many losing their jobs as well as shortages in food and supplies. Nepal's situation led officials to improvise penalties for those who skipped mandatory quarantine as only the border shared with China was closed. That was not the case for the border shared with India. All that and more on this episode of "Behind the Mask."

Jay Holder shares Tokyo 2020 Olympic experience amid COVID-19 Pandemic

WNYO 88.9 FM — Sat, 04 Sep 2021 11:55:00 +0000

The opening episode for the podcast's second season features Jay Holder, a 2005 graduate of SUNY Oswego who served as the deputy venue media manager at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, Japan. Holder shares what the process of acclimating to a Games setting was like amid COVID-19 restrictions and a state of emergency declared for Tokyo and the surrounding prefectures.

Episode 10: Nirdishtha Sapkota of Nepal explains government restrictions, relations with neighboring India throughout the pandemic.

WNYO 88.9 FM — Sat, 01 May 2021 12:48:00 +0000

During this episode of "Behind the Mask," Tomas meets with Nirdishtha Sapkota to discuss her native country of Nepal. During the pandemic, Nepal has relied on India heavily as it relates to receiving medical supplies and other essential goods. Nepal has also recently enforced a 15-day lockdown in an effort to stymie the spread of the newer Indian COVID-19 mutations.

Nirdishtha also breaks down the pandemic on a personal level, and how she is coping with things this semester. She also talks about her family and how they are dealing with national lockdowns in Nepal.

All that and more, on episode 10 of "Behind the Mask."

Episode 9: Wataru Yatabe of Japan explains COVID-19 restrictions, government ahead of postponed Olympics

WNYO 88.9 FM — Sat, 10 Apr 2021 00:56:00 +0000

Just three months shy of hosting the postponed summer Olympics, Japan experienced an increasing number of coronavirus cases. As a result, Japan is reportedly placing Tokyo among other prefectures under a 'quasi-emergency state' to slow the spread of the virus ahead of the games. The pandemic has also impacted the retail industry, as they now have to close by 9 p.m. whereas pre-COVID they remained open until 4 a.m.

Episode 8: Chamanka Gamage of Sri Lanka discusses economic crisis and good samaritan efforts

WNYO 88.9 FM — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 23:02:00 +0000

Sri Lanka currently faces an unprecedented economic crisis due to a heavy reliance on global trade and tourism that has slowed due to the pandemic. This has led thousands to lose their jobs. Despite the situation, people like Chamanka, who is involved with several NGOs, have offered to help underprivileged people by providing food and other essential needs throughout the pandemic.

Episode 7: Valentina Solonos of Cyprus explains government regulations during lockdown

WNYO 88.9 FM — Mon, 05 Apr 2021 04:10:00 +0000

Cyprus is conducting a thorough surveillance campaign in order to stymie the spread of COVID-19. If residents leave the house, they must send a text message to a government-monitored phone number; the government has made different numbers available depending on the reason for leaving the house. Each message grants a three-hour pass, and residents are only allowed to leave the house up to two times per day for a total of six hours. Listen as Valentina describes these lockdowns and more.

Episode 5: Mercedes Perez of Spain discusses transition to France

WNYO 88.9 FM — Fri, 19 Mar 2021 01:01:00 +0000

Episode 5 of "Behind the Mask" features Mercedes Perez, a former foreign exchange student at Oswego during the fall of 2018. Perez hails from Spain, a nation that experienced a strict lockdown during March of last year. On the other hand, France has just enacted a soft month-long lockdown amid a surge in COVID-19 cases. To learn more about her experiences, give this episode a listen.

Episode 4: Leonie Plaar on the months-long quarantine in Germany

WNYO 88.9 FM — Sat, 13 Mar 2021 02:27:00 +0000

Episode 4 of "Behind the Mask" features Leonie Plaar, a former German exchange student who studied at SUNY Oswego during the fall of 2018. Tune in as she shares how the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns in Germany have impacted her senior year as a graduate student.

Episode 3: Vegard Bergset of Norway.

WNYO 88.9 FM — Fri, 05 Mar 2021 01:53:00 +0000

Episode 3 of "Behind the Mask" features Vegard Bergset, a senior from Norway living on-campus in Oswego. Starting this week, Norway began to allow daily commuters from Sweden and Finland under strict standards, although travelers from other European nations are not yet able to do so. To learn more about what traveling to and from Norway during the pandemic has been like for Bergset, tune in.

Episode 2 Shanna Fuld in Israel

WNYO 88.9 FM — Sat, 27 Feb 2021 10:57:00 +0000

This week's show features Shanna Fuld, a SUNY Oswego graduate who is currently a freelancing in Israeli media and produces her own podcast, the "Israel Daily News Podcast." Israel made the headlines earlier this year, as a significant portion of the population had already received at least the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by early February. To learn more about what the secret behind Israel's success may be, take a listen.

Episode 1: Julia Tilley in France

WNYO 88.9 FM — Sat, 20 Feb 2021 20:34:00 +0000

The pilot episode of Behind The Mask will take listeners to France, where Julia Tilley (Class of '20) is currently a school language assistant. Throughout the pandemic, teachers there have held several strikes in order to teach face-to-face and the risk it poses in the absence of a vaccine. Currently, the country has a curfew in effect between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. Restaurants, cafes and other activities face severe restrictions.