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. China and South Korea used contact tracing to control the virus. Is this the best response to a serious outbreak? Should we worry about governments tracking phone movements?
5. How did you feel when COVID-19 first became a big issue? Did you think it was serious?
6. Many governments ordered people to stay home during the pandemic. How did you feel about that? Did it make you feel less free?
7. Some places saw panic-buying of essentials like food and toilet paper. Did this happen near you? Did you rush 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 create coronavirus rules? For example, were masks required on 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. During the pandemic, people shook hands, hugged, and kissed less. Do we need this kind 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 show dangerous virus outbreaks. Have you seen them? Are they realistic? Can they help us prepare for similar situations?