Coronavirus Pandemic Conversation Questions

Warm-up Question:
Have you or anyone you know had COVID-19?

Discussion Questions:

1. Which countries handled the pandemic well? What did they do to fight the virus?
2. Which countries handled the pandemic poorly? Why didn’t they do a good job?
3. COVID-19 was first noticed in China. Did you blame China for this disease? Did you blame anyone for the disease?
4. Countries like China and South Korea had some success containing the virus with contact-tracing. Is this kind of tracking the best way to deal with a serious virus? Should we be worried when a government can track our movements through our phones?
5. How did you feel when COVID-19 first became a big issue? Did you think it was serious?
6. In many places around the world, governments told people to stay at home during the pandemic. How do you feel about your government telling you what to do? Does it make you feel less free?
7. Some places experienced panic-buying of essential items like food or toilet paper at the beginning of the pandemic. Did this happen near you? Did you rush to the store to buy supplies?
8. Are you still worried that you might get the coronavirus? What are you doing to avoid catching COVID-19?

9. Wearing a mask can be uncomfortable. Why should we wear one? When should we wear one?
10. Did your country make any rules or laws related to the coronavirus? For example, were masks required when you used public transport?
11. The coronavirus seemed more dangerous to older people. Did this mean young people didn’t need to worry about themselves?
12. Did the global pandemic make you more health-conscious? Did it change your behavior? What did you start doing to stay healthy?
13. Before the coronavirus pandemic, had you ever worn a mask? If so, why?
14. Did you spend more time at home during the pandemic? If so, what did you do at home?
15. A lot of activities moved online during the pandemic. What did you do online?
16. The pandemic made international travel difficult. Have you been able to travel abroad since the pandemic?
17. Because of the pandemic, there was less handshaking, hugging, and kissing. Do people need these kinds of physical contact?
18. A germaphobe is someone that is scared of germs or obsessed with being clean. Did the pandemic make us all germaphobes?
19. Movies like Contagion and Outbreak are about dangerous viruses. Have you seen these movies? Are they realistic? Can watching them help us deal with similar situations in the future?