In order to reduce the risk of elders, Tokyo Governor is asking elders to cancel their trip and will make canceling fee free. However, like I have said in previous stories, Japan can never enforce rules on citizens. It has to be “we would like you to do it”. I doubt a lot of elders will cancel because using Go To travel allows traveling fee to be reduced, and some would definitely think that it's a waste to not use the government’s money. 東京都は高齢者たちが自粛の呼び掛けに応じて「GoToトラベル」の旅行を取りやめる場合、13日までに申し出ればキャンセル料は無料になると明らかにしました。 　東京都は65歳以上の高齢者や基礎疾患を持つ人たちを対象に「GoToトラベル」の東京発着の旅行を17日まで自粛するよう呼び掛けるとしています。キャンセル料などに関する政府から都への回答によりますと、17日までに出発する旅行については13日までに申し出ればキャンセル料はかかりません。一方、キャンセルされた事業者に対しては解約された旅行代金の35％を国が負担するということです。また、小池都知事は1日に菅総理と会談した際、高齢者らへの「GoToトラベル」の利用自粛の呼び掛けについて、全国規模で行うことを検討するよう求めていたことも明らかにしました。 　その東京都では2日に新たに500人の感染が確認され、重症の患者は59人になりました。また、都は50代から90代の男女5人が死亡したことも発表しました。このうち4人は高血圧などの基礎疾患があったということです。 The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has announced that if elderly people cancel their "Go To Travel" trip, the cancellation fee will be free if they apply by the 13th. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is calling on elderly people aged 65 and over and people with underlying illnesses to refrain from traveling to and from Tokyo on "Go To Travel" until the 17th. According to the government's response to the city regarding cancellation fees, there is no cancellation fee if you apply by the 13th for trips departing by the 17th. On the other hand, the government will bear 35% of the canceled travel fee for the canceled business operator. In addition, when Governor Koike met with Prime Minister Suga on the 1st, he said that he had requested that elderly people consider refraining from using "GoTo Travel" on a nationwide scale. In Tokyo, 500 new infections were confirmed on the 2nd, and the number of patients with severe symptoms became 59. The city also announced that five men and women in their 50s and 90s had died. Four of them had underlying illnesses such as high blood pressure. Video translated by Youngbin Noh

Go To travel has been something I’ve been submitting to this archive. In order to boost up the economy, Japan has supported people who will be traveling by paying up to half of the traveling fee. Personally, this I think really caused the second wave of COVID-19 in Japan, but people still want to travel because it is cheap using the government’s support. 最大で旅行代金の半額相当が支援されるGoToトラベルについて、政府は来年中ごろまで延長する方針を固めました。 　GoToトラベルはこれまで1月までの旅行を対象としていましたが、政府関係者によりますと、これを来年中ごろまで延長する方針で、8日に取りまとめる緊急経済対策に盛り込むことにしています。ただ、Go Toトラベルが終わった際に旅行の需要が激減することを防ぐため、現在、最大で35％となっている割引率を段階的に引き下げることや受け取ることができる地域共通クーポンの金額の見直しなどを検討するということです。 The government has decided to extend Go To Travel, which supports up to half the travel price, until mid-next year. Go To Travel has been targeted for travel until January, but according to government officials, it is planned to extend this until the middle of next year, and it will be included in the emergency economic measures to be summarized on the 8th. However, in order to prevent the demand for travel from dropping drastically when Go To Travel is over, they will gradually reduce the discount rate, which is currently up to 35%, and review the amount of regional coupons that can be received. Video translated by Youngbin Noh

ロシアのプーチン大統領は、世界で初めて開発に成功した新型コロナウイルスのロシア製ワクチンについて、国民を対象にした大規模な接種を来週から始めると表明しました。 　プーチン大統領は2日、閣僚らとの会議でロシア製ワクチン「スプートニクV」の大規模接種を来週後半から始めるよう指示しました。すでに200万回分のワクチンの生産がほぼ完了しているとも述べ、まずは優先的に医師と教員に接種させるとしています。ロシア国民であれば接種の費用はかからないということです。新型コロナウイルスのワクチンを巡っては、イギリス政府がアメリカの製薬大手「ファイザー」のワクチンを承認して来週から接種を開始すると発表していて、プーチン大統領としてもロシア国内でも接種を始めて対抗する意図があるとみられます。 Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that he will begin large-scale public vaccination next week for the world's first successful Russian vaccine for the new coronavirus. President Putin instructed at a meeting with ministers on the 2nd to start large-scale inoculation of the Russian vaccine "Sputnik V" from the latter half of next week. He also said that the production of 2 million vaccines has already been completed, and will give priority to doctors and teachers. If you are a Russian citizen, there is no cost for vaccination. Regarding the vaccine for the new corona virus, the British government has announced that it will approve the vaccine of the American pharmaceutical giant "Pfizer" and start vaccination from next week, and President Putin intends to start vaccination in Russia as well. Video translated by Youngbin Noh

新型コロナウイルスの感染が再び拡大しているアメリカ・ニューヨーク州では、検査の行列を避けたい人たちの間で有料のクリニックへの注目が高まっています。 　検査を受けに来た女性：「多くの具合が悪い人と一緒に行列に並ぶリスクを避けたい。（簡易テストの費用が）250ドルはすごく高いけど、皆、早く結果が知りたいし、賢いビジネスだと思う」 　新型コロナウイルスの感染拡大が続くなか、ニューヨーク市内では無料の検査を受けるまで数時間、外で待つ場合もあり、行列を避けたい人たちの間で有料のクリニックへの注目が高まっています。ニューヨーク州では2日、前日に確認された新規感染者が8973人に上り、4月24日以来、最多となりました。クリスマスや年末に向けて感染者のさらなる増加が懸念され、クオモ知事は多くの市民に検査を受けるよう改めて呼び掛けています。ニューヨーク州では検査が無料のため、その数は一日で最大約22万件に上っていて、病院には大勢の人が詰め掛けています。 In New York, USA, where the infection with the new coronavirus is spreading again, there is increasing attention to paid clinics among those who want to avoid the inspection line. Woman coming to the test: "I want to avoid the risk of waiting in line with many sick people. (The cost of a quick test) is very high, but everyone wants to know the results quickly and is smart. I think it's a good business.” As the infection of the new coronavirus continues to spread, in New York City, it may take several hours to wait outside for a free test, so people who want to avoid lines are paying more attention to paid clinics. In New York State, the number of newly infected people confirmed the day before was 8973 on the 2nd, the highest number since April 24th. Concerned about a further increase in infected people towards Christmas and the end of the year, Governor Cuomo is calling on many citizens to be tested again. With free tests in New York, the number can reach up to about 220,000 a day, and hospitals are packed with people. Video Translated by Youngbin Noh

医療や介護への影響を抑えることが狙いです。 　新型コロナウイルスの影響で医療や介護の現場で使い捨てのビニール手袋の需要が急激に伸びて価格が高騰していることを受け、政府・与党は来年度の税制改正で輸入関税を一時、撤廃する方針を固めました。国内で供給されている使い捨てのビニール手袋は現在、大半を中国やベトナムからの輸入に頼っていて、5.8％の関税がかかっています。価格の高騰による医療や介護への影響を抑えることが狙いで、来年度の税制改正に盛り込む方針です。 The aim is to reduce the impact on medical care and nursing care. The government and the ruling party are planning to temporarily remove import tax in the next fiscal year's tax reform in response to the sharp increase in demand for disposable gloves and increasing prices in the medical and nursing care fields due to the influence of the new coronavirus. Most of the disposable gloves supplied domestically are currently imported from China and Vietnam and are subject to a 5.8% tax rate. The policy is to include it in the tax reform next year with the aim of reducing the impact of increasing prices on medical care and long-term care. Video translated by Youngbin Noh

A nasal spray aimed at temporarily preventing COVID-19 infections was tested on ferrets with positive results.

The Oral History interview is with CJ Willingham and she describes her experiences and views during the pandemic year. CJ gives her encounters during the initial pandemic and how the pandemic is affecting her now. She explains her perspective on more than the pandemic. CJ shares her knowledge on protests, police brutality and police reform.

Protests are happening in Punjab, India amid the coronavirus pandemic. According to the Punjab government 3.330 farmers had committed suicide, from 2000-2019. Due to the high debt, 536 farmers took their lives in just 2019 alone. Will privatization of the farmer market increase or decrease the debt? The new farm bill which was passed on September 27 is stressing a lot of people, they are confused and are protesting. Earlier, the government bought directly from the farmers. The new bill makes the farmer market a free market making entry for private companies. Privatization is good for the development of the country, but what about the small farmers? They are worried, stressed and not aware about what’s going on. They need a Minimum Selling Price (MSP), which is already given to them by the government so why the protests?

When COVID-19 started to be recognized as a serious problem, the Federal Trade Commission warned of fake COVID-19 testing sites and ways to identify them. Now that the holiday season has started, articles are once again warning of fake testing sites and linking to the FTC's original warning.

The story is about how COVID-19 has affected the educational system.

Dana Adkins is a Mother that works at a summertime resort. She discusses how the pandemic impacted her job. Also discussed is how her children handled the changes to their routines.

With the arts and museums struggling to stay afloat during COVID-19, a local newspaper suggests ways to support them.

The tourism and travel industries are working to revive their failing industry and have proposed a digital health passport. These passports would be used to verify a traveler's vaccine and COVID-19 test status when traveling, especially internationally.

David John McKenney lived in rural Michigan for most of his life. In this interview, David reflects upon the challenges that COVID-19 wrought on the rural school districts for which he works. He describes how he and his coworkers wrote code that helped transition students to remote learning and saved other districts countless hours of labor. David also touches upon his experience in Ukraine and the flu quarantine that occurred there seasonally. He contrasts this with the current American quarantine and highlights his concerns about freedoms of speech in reference to lockdowns. His concerns about freedoms of speech also extends to the future of Christianity and the church. He expresses his anger about the 2020 election season. In addition, David discusses his frustration with rioting in Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington. David remarks on the shift in real estate from urban areas to suburban areas and the rise in construction. Finally, David comments on his participation in pandemic trends (such as baking bread) and increased time spent with family.

The "travel bubble" planned between Hong Kong and Singapore has been postponed due to a spike of COVID-19 cases in Hong Kong.

During the COVID-19 pandemic school year, things have changed. A staple in school has always been the yearbook. This year the yearbook for my niece's school is running into problems. The school is required to pay a certain amount for a contract with the company apparently. Considering most kids are attending via virtual school their not much as far as in school pictures. I wonder how badly yearbook companies as a whole are getting hit this year.

This year in fantasy football provides a new challenge. How to deal with players who contract COVID-19. The app shows a cov symbol by the player's image.

It's good to see Israeli soldiers following COVID-19 health protocols whilst forcibly removing Palestinians from their land. Safety first, machine guns to kill any human resisters, and masks to prevent COVID-19 infections.

The UK is setting plans to allow visitors to come to the UK after taking a Covid-19 test. This is a huge step considering the country has been under a major travel ban and had been requiring individuals to partake in a 14-day quarantine. This new testing protocol is great for those wanting to see family and loved ones in the UK.

Tokyo continuously has increasing number of severe symptoms patient of COIVD-19. Despite this, Japan still wants to make the economy running, and all the restaurants are not taking proper CDC measures. Japan’s restaurants tend to be way smaller compared to here, and therefore opening one seat or a table apart from each other does not really help. Tokyo continuously has increasing number of severe symptoms patient of COIVD-19. Despite this, Japan still wants to make the economy running, and all the restaurants are not taking proper CDC measures. Japan’s restaurants tend to be way smaller compared to here, and therefore opening one seat or a table apart from each other does not really help.

[KW] is a New Zealand immigrant currently living in Apple Valley, Minnesota with her husband and their three children, ages eight, six, and three. [KW] shares her experiences with COVID 19 from an immigrant’s point-of-view as well as a mother’s point-of-view. [KW] reflects upon the difference between the handling of the pandemic in New Zealand and the handling of the pandemic in America. Additionally, [KW] discusses how the pandemic has affected her children, their schooling, and her own role in their lives. She breaks down their routines before the pandemic and compares it to their routines now. She talks about how the pandemic has changed her daily life and the daily lives of children, especially her two school aged sons and their activities in and out of school. Finally, she reflects upon how different her families’ lives would be if they were still living in New Zealand instead of Minnesota.

Across the country, people have been making public art installations in memory have those that died due to COVID-19. Some of these memorials are meant to help people understand the large scope of death, others are meant to help the creators and viewers start to heal after loss.

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Uzumaki is a story by Japanese Horror mangaka Junji Ito where people become insane and turn into twisted spirals left forever contorted by madness, this is a simple jab at that story as this year has been nothing but a downward spiral.

It has been a long year, but the ending seems so quick...

A drawing made of the God from Princess Mononoke, a classic Studio Ghibli film about environmentalism and industrialism.

My partner was telling me a recollection of an incident in a story: (Context they live in England) OK, so I was in store, they leave 2m gaps, this old ass boomer joins the queue, and I feel a nudge against my leg. It's her like, trolley type thing. She's like 1.5 feet away. I look to her, and back, queue moves, I try distance myself. I feel a nudge against my leg again. I turn around and she had taken off her mask. She's like 70. The queue moves again and a staff member comes up and tells her to put a mask on. I feel the trolley against my leg, and she seems pissed for having to wear a mask. I finally get out of the queue cause it's my turn and I hear her say like "finally you stopped wasting space"

An NYC bookstore collectively owned by queer, trans people, and sex workers as well as a cafe operating during the pandemic.

Me and my friend Sebastian have been watching films over Discord video share to ease our tension surrounding the pandemic. We have watched classics such as Tremors and Return of the Living Dead as well as obscure, terrible movies like Uninvited and Love on a Leash. One day while I was talking about the atrocity that is the author of Ready Player One after watching Tremors, I mentioned how it'd be funny if the worm from Dune was gay and kissed the worm from Betelgeuse and the only way to do it would be in the sequel of Ready Player One, Ready Player Two. So my friend, naturally, had to draw gay worms.

Lulu Garcia-Navarro interviews the superintendent of Great Falls Public Schools in Montana about COVID-19 and schools.

Before I started this internship, I was hoping for some direction in my career. I have been out of the workforce for a very long time and was hoping for guidance. I had previous knowledge of public history thanks to a course I had taken early on in this program. It was this same course that pushed me towards pursuing a career in public history. I had always known what I wanted to do; I just didn’t know what it was called. I have acquired so many new skills through this internship experience. Many of these are transferable into my future career. The biggest ones being working with a team asynchronously, creating metadata, and utilizing the best practices for curating and archiving. I also learned how to build a collection, how to utilize my marketing skills and how to run a social media campaign. Moving forward I would love to continue to curate and work on the archive. When thinking about what pushed me out of my comfort zone it is really hard to pinpoint just one aspect. Personally, I am an introvert, this internship pushed me out of my comfort zone socially. I toughly enjoyed talking about ethical issues and best practices with my classmates. Starting this course was overwhelming and the feeling of jumping into the unknown was uncomfortable. Looking back now I have no regrets about choosing to take this course because I have learned so much. The biggest lesson I learned about myself is that I have found what I love to do. I started my historical journey three years ago when I went back to school. I decided on a history degree because I love history but had no idea what I wanted to do with my degree other than I didn’t want to teach. This experience has solidified my desires to go into public history. Although I learned a lot throughout this internship, the connections I have made are more valuable. Through this internship I have met many like-minded people who have already become an important part of my educational journey. I look forward to the next chapter in my life and hoping that leads me to a career in archiving and curating.

Over the past 14 weeks, I have had the opportunity to work on The Journal of the Plague Year digital archive with Arizona State University. I learned a vast amount over the course of the internship, such as how to write press releases, collection plans, blog posts and other forms of advertising for the archive. I also learned about the ins and outs of archiving and the behind-the-scenes considerations that are involved in building and maintaining an archive. This was my very first graduate school class and as such, I wasn’t sure that starting with an internship was the best idea, but after the first week or two I realized that this was the perfect way to start, since it was basically getting a preview of the type of work someone in the public history field would be doing and I got very excited, determined that this was the type of career I wanted to pursue. The writing for publication skills that I have started to develop, I think will be extremely valuable as those skills are not just applicable to public history, but any career field really. The oral history project also provided the opportunity to work on my interviewing skills. Oral histories are vital to the study of history and even though this is an area I still need to work on, at least now I have the basic foundation to build on. For my collection within the archive, I chose to focus on Law Enforcement, as that is a community that is near and dear to my heart. I currently work in law enforcement and I have family that does as well. When we discussed silences in our weekly readings, we talked about how to identify silences and how to work towards filling them. I noted that there were very few if any, submissions to the archive from the perspective of law enforcement so I wanted to work towards filling that silence. Overall, this internship was a great experience and entry into both the public history field and graduate studies. I know that the skills I have developed here will serve me well as I continue my graduate studies!

厳しい外出制限が敷かれているフランスでは、ブラックフライデーの大型セールを1週間延期することが決まりました。 　フランスでは新型コロナウイルスの感染拡大を受けて多くの中小の小売店が閉鎖されています。一方でアマゾンなどネット通販大手は営業を続けていて、ブラックフライデーのセールが27日から始まることに小売店からは不満の声が高まっていました。それを受けて政府は20日、ブラックフライデーの大型セールを27日から1週間延期し、それまでに小売店の営業再開を認めることを発表しました。 In France, where strict outing restrictions are in place, it has been decided to postpone the big Black Friday sale for a week. In France, many small and medium-sized retail stores have been closed due to the spread of the new coronavirus infection. On the other hand, major online shopping companies such as Amazon are still in business, and retailers have been complaining that the Black Friday sale will start on the 27th. In response, the government announced on the 20th that it will postpone the big Black Friday sale for a week from the 27th and allow retailers to reopen by then. Video translated by Youngbin Noh

政府の新型コロナウイルス対策分科会の尾身会長は、感染が拡大している札幌について、個人の見解として、「『ステージ3』に入っているのではないか」との認識を示しました。GoToトラベルキャンペーンの見直しを提言したことについては、「感染の早期鎮静化につながり結果的には、経済的なダメージも少なくなる」と説明しました。また、「感染の可能性を自覚しながら検査を受けない事例も増えている」と指摘し、改めて、症状が出れば早期に受診するよう呼び掛けました。 Mr. Omi, chairman of the government's new coronavirus control subcommittee, expressed his personal opinion about Sapporo of Hokkaido, where the infection is spreading, that he may be in "stage 3". He explained that he recommended a review of the GoTo Travel Campaign, which will lead to early sedation of the infection and, as a result, less financial damage." He also pointed out that "the number of cases where people are aware of the symptoms of infection but do not get tested is increasing," and once again called for an early checkup if symptoms occur. Video translated by Youngbin Noh

There has been multiple online festivals hosted inside video games such as Minecraft, with Lavapalooza, or Fortnite, the infamous Travis Scott event. Many of these events proceeds have gone directly to charity regarding Covid-19 relief. These digital live music events raise the question of the viability of hosting a digital festival in a post-pandemic world.

I have been a majority online student this fall semester. The one exception to this is my occasional attendance to my Art class about zines. Every time I came, campus felt dead, the only exceptions being the library and classroom. I began to wear glasses with side shields for a little extra protection in class, but everyone was well over six feet away from each other. I'm not surprised there hasn't been major outbreaks on campus due to how empty and deserted everything is. Besides seeing people occasionally not wearing masks while walking outside, everyone seems to wear one and wear them properly. I avoid taking the light rail and buses, even though they have not been collecting fares for a while now. I haven't tried on campus food beyond the POD market for some snacks. I hope that the current situation can continue in the next spring semester, even after a possible vaccine release.

Bandcamp, the popular indie music streaming platform, has offered musicians a new revenue stream to replace in-person live shows. Fans can buy a ticket to access the show and purchase merchandise at the "virtual merch table". As the music industry has been turned upside down due to the end of touring and live shows, this offers another way to supplement the income of artists.

Every winter there is a rise in anxiety and depression. Shorter days, colder temperatures, and staying inside all contribute to a widespread worsening mental health. The pandemic has already had a drastic affect on mental health but most of the pandemic has been during the spring, summer, and fall. Now that we are entering the final season of the year and COVID cases are rising, we are in for a tougher winter. Shutdowns are happening again and people are having to go into more intense quarantines again will will have large effects on people's mental health.

There seems to be another outbreak in COVID cases among GOP lawmakers. This week, Rick Scott, the Republican Senator from Florida, tested positive for COVID. He is the most recent case, Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa also tested positive earlier this week. Both have been quarantining themselves and working from home.

The 87-year-old Iowa senator announced in a tweet this week that he tested positive for COVID-19. There might be another outbreak in GOP lawmakers testing positive as many of them refuse to wear a mask and follow CDC guidelines.

As minks have shown the ability to contract Covid-19, many countries have attempted to cull mink populations. This opinion piece covers the topic of Mink farms in Canada, suggesting that the federal government should take the opportunity to end the practice during the pandemic. This is due to animal rights abuses, decline in the industry, and possible new mutations. Hamer states, "If the Canadian government is serious about building Canada’s economy back better and more resilient, it should help this declining industry transition."

With the recent release of the COVID-19 vaccine, many moral questions arise. The author of this article asks a few such as who gets the vaccine first and last? There has been talk about a vaccine since the beginning of the pandemic but I think there's been less talk about what we do once we get it. Obviously there are main goals like making sure everyone gets the vaccine and ramping up its distribution but there's a lot of work to be done between the day the vaccine is created and the day everyone is vaccinated.

Over 11,350 workers, including 720 actors and singers were laid off by Walt Disney World on 28th of October, 2020. The layoffs were a part of Walt Disney’s Co. to eliminate jobs in different divisions to meet the requirements of cost, and restrictions amid the pandemic. Kate Shindle, the president of actor equity association said “Our heart goes out to all cast members at Walt Disney World, Disney has made it clear that our members would face work reduction since they announced layoffs of nearly 28,000 employees .That doesn’t make this news less painful”. The union said that laying off performers would maintain their right to be recalled for job openings until the end of 2021.

Many people are getting infected by COVID even at small gatherings with friends and family. Now that COVID is basically rising everywhere in the United States, the risk of getting infected at what would seem to be safe gatherings are now a potential risk. The article from the Wall Street Journal shows several accounts of people who were with 2-3 people not in their immediate household and contracted the virus.

Every semester the IAIA campus hosts an exhibition for the graduating seniors. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic the campus was closed and everything moved to an online format. Determined to show the work, the graduating seniors worked with their instuctors, advisors and the gallery director to organize and execute a virtual exhibition. The show was designed and created with the Ortelia software. Although they did not get to exhibit the work in person this interactive exhibition did return some normalcy to the gallery exhibition space.

The New Mexico Department of Health, created a short video encouraging people not to gather for holidays such as Thanksgiving. It is said that large gatherings increase the odds of transmitting or getting the COVID-19 virus. The video clip shows a family gathered for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, however they are communicating through their online devices. The conversations have not changed, just they way they interact. Every year my family gathers to enjoy a meal with one another. Holidays will be differnt in 2020, we will not be gathering but we can still speak and interact online.

New Mexico's Governor Michelle Lujan-Grisham, gave her weekly update regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. The Governor addressed the rising number of COVID cases and deaths in New Mexico. She ordered a two week "reset" to lower the number of cases. This means that shopping centers, gyms, unessential stores, indoor dining, museums, group sports, etc have been closed for two weeks. The Governor has been facing a lot of backlash because of her COVID-19 mandates and policies. These new closures have upset the people of New Mexico further. I personally see them as a means to stop the spread of the virus and keep people healthy and safe. Yes, I do miss sharing a meal with friends and family, visiting a museum, watching a movie and just living a "normal" life. However, I understand that I need to be safe not only for myself but for my family and community as well. It is not about my needs, I need to consider others as well. This is not a time to be selfish and ego driven.

As Thanksgiving approaches, food nonprofits across the United States preparing to distribute more food this year because of increased food insecurity caused by COVID-19.

The province has introduced sweeping measures in order to curb the rise of Covid-19 cases. This has included a mask mandate, which is a reversal from previous policy. Other restrictions introduced encompass lessening the time spent in public indoor spaces or events.

In an article for Jacobin Magazine, Imre Szijarto and Rosa Schwartzburg describe in length how the far-right government of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has taken advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to pass a law to give itself emergency powers over civil society and the other branches of government. These emergency powers, which include the ability to censor journalists, attacks on LGBTQ rights, the power to grant government contracts (to Orban's cronies), and the takeover of art institutions, represents a blatant power grab that is unprecedented in Europe since the 1930s. Indeed, Orban's emergency power decree has drawn comparisons to figures as varied as Adolf Hitler and Emperor Palpatine (in Hungarian language memes), and the European Union leadership has strongly condemned Orban's decree as akin the "Enabling Act," which was passed by the Nazis in 1933. Orban's autocratic power grab and the democratic backsliding experienced by Hungary were already underway before the pandemic, but COVID-19 has allowed Orban to use a "state of exception" to effectively suspend liberally democracy in Hungary for the foreseeable future.