Reality Check

Reporter at Canada's Globe and Mail, Robyn Doolittle, joins the panel this week to discuss what went wrong in Canada. Speaking to a series of infectious-disease experts, health officials and politicians, Robyn and her team pieced together an image of the 'lost months' - a period between January and March when more should have been done to prevent the pandemic. Also on the podcast: Kate Andrews gives an update on the latest in Leicester; Jennifer Creery reports on Hong Kong's latest worry - an influx of migrant workers; and Fredrik Erixon reflects back on Sweden's laissez-faire approach.

Read the articles discussed here:

Hong Kong: https://asiatimes.com/2020/06/hold-quarantine-centre-plea-as-domestic-workers-return/

Sweden: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sweden-self-isolation-in-the-country-that-didnt-do-lockdown-jdjdsc8mm

Canada: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/investigations/article-canadas-lost-months-when-covid-19s-first-wave-hit-governments-and/

UK: https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/hundreds-more-people-diagnosed-covid-4272970

Germany has launched its contact tracing app, but is it the only way to get out of lockdown? Kate Andrews talks to a panel of international guests and hears about the situation from Italy, where concerns over tourism and getting their cities back are conflicting the residents of Venice and Rome; from Germany, where uptake on the new app has been good; and from America, on how even 'science' is becoming partisan.

With Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli from Rome, Nick Gillespie from New York, and Constantin Eckner from Berlin.

Presented by Kate Andrews.

With post-Covid life a bit closer for some countries around the world than others, this week's panel takes a look at how businesses are navigating their way out of the pandemic. Jennifer Creery, Managing Editor of the Hong Kong Free Press, takes a look at the government bailout to Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong's airline; Peter Griffin, a science and tech journalist based in New Zealand, talks about balancing contact tracing with the demands of reopening businesses; while Cindy Yu, the Spectator's Broadcast Editor, kicks off the episode by taking a look at China's candidates in the vaccine race.

Presented by Kate Andrews.

In this week's episode, the Coronomics panel discuss Brazil’s unknown death toll, Sweden’s cautious optimism for employment, the UK’s crawl out of lockdown restrictions, and the double standards uncovered in America’s lockdown rules. Kate Andrews is joined by Fredrik Erixon in Sweden, Nick Gillespie in New York City, and Mauricio Savarese in Brazil.

In this week's episode, the panel discuss the merits of treatment vs vaccine, American red tape, Hong Kong's fairly relaxed stance on new infections, and Italy running out of money.

With Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli in Rome, former Italian Correspondent for Politico; Jennifer Creery in Hong Kong, Managing Editor of the Hong Kong Free Press; Nick Gillespie in New York, Editor at Large for Reason magazine.

Presented by Kate Andrews.

Read the articles discussed in the episode here:

Italy: https://www.thelocal.it/20200514/italys-new-poor-the-people-left-in-poverty-by-the-coronavirus-crisis

Hong Kong: https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3084283/coronavirus-hong-kong-health-experts-doubt-new

USA: https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-backed-coronavirus-testing-program-stopped-by-fda-2020-5?r=US&IR=T

UK: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/05/16/blood-thinning-drugs-can-help-save-covid-19-patients-lives/

In this week's episode, the Coronomics panel discuss Hong Kong's reopening, lockdown confusion in the UK, the American unemployment nightmare, and the growing divides between northern and southern Italy.

With Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli in Rome, former Italian Correspondent for Politico; Jennifer Creery in Hong Kong, Managing Editor of the Hong Kong Free Press; Nick Gillespie in New York, Editor at Large for Reason magazine.

Presented by Kate Andrews.

Read the articles discussed in the episode here:

Italy: https://www.ft.com/content/6c2ad256-9452-4480-9d98-2444b07675d4?shareType=nongift

Hong Kong: https://asiatimes.com/2020/05/hk-to-relax-social-distancing-rules-from-friday/

USA: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-terrible-jobs-report-gets-worse-the-more-you-read-it/

In this week's episode, the Coronomics panel discuss the confusions of Italy's lockdown easing; Hong Kong's large-scale repatriation of residents from South Asia; the potential watershed moment of American news outlets accepting federal funds; and whether China is looking down the barrel of a second wave.

With Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli in Rome, former Italian Correspondent for Politico; Jennifer Creery in Hong Kong, Managing Editor of the Hong Kong Free Press; Nick Gillespie in New York, Editor at Large for Reason magazine; and guest appearance from Cindy Yu, Broadcast Editor at the Spectator.

Presented by Kate Andrews.

Read the articles discussed in the episode here:

Italy: https://www.forbes.com/sites/rebeccahughes/2020/04/29/italians-angered-by-chaotic-and-confusing-phase-2-lockdown-lift/

Hong Kong: https://asiatimes.com/2020/04/hk-to-repatriate-5200-citizens-from-india-pakistan/

USA: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/29/business/news-media-federal-aid-coronavirus.html?action=click&module=News&pgtype=Homepage

China: https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/is-harbin-china-s-new-wuhan-

This six-part series is the latest addition to Spectator Radio. Each week, our panellists from around the world each select a story that gives you an inside look at what's happening outside their windows.

In this episode, we take a look at Italy's route to freedom, Boris's return to work, intergenerational tensions in New York, and Hong Kong's non-Covid patients.

With Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli in Rome, former Italian Correspondent for Politico; Jennifer Creery in Hong Kong, Managing Editor of the Hong Kong Free Press; and Nick Gillespie in New York, Editor at Large for Reason magazine.

Presented by Kate Andrews.

Read the articles discussed here:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/italy-coronavirus-phase-ii-may-4/2020/04/23/3bb47b52-84ae-11ea-81a3-9690c9881111_story.html

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-bearer-of-good-coronavirus-news-11587746176

https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1522723-20200425.htm

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2020/04/26/boris-johnson-could-ease-lockdown-may-7-deadline/

This six-part series is the latest addition to Spectator Radio. Each week, our panellists from around the world select a story that gives you an inside look at what's happening outside their windows.

This episode, we take a look at Italy's cautious reopening, the political blame game stateside, and Hong Kong's second wave worries.

With Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli in Rome, former Italian Correspondent for Politico; Jennifer Creery in Hong Kong, Managing Editor of the Hong Kong Free Press; and Nick Gillespie in New York, Editor at Large for Reason magazine.

Presented by Kate Andrews.

This six-part series is the latest addition to Spectator Radio. Each week, our panellists from around the world select a story that gives you an inside look at what's happening outside their windows.

With Silvia Sciorilli Borrelli in Rome, former Italian Correspondent for Politico; Jennifer Creery in Hong Kong, Managing Editor of the Hong Kong Free Press; and Nick Gillespie in New York, Editor at Large for Reason magazine.

Presented by Kate Andrews.