COVID-19 Pandemic in the Arstotzkan Union

COVID-19 pandemic in the Arstotzkan Union

Disease	COVID-19
Virus strain	Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)
Location	Arstotzkan Union & Worldwide
First case	24 February 2022
Arrival date	24 February 2022
Origin	Wuhan, Hubei, China
Confirmed cases	25
Severe cases	1
Recovered	23
Deaths	0

In 2020, the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Arstotzkan Union began. The nation at the time had been coming out of the Second Civil Conflict when New Zealand announced it's first case. On March 18, 2020, the Ministry of Health and National Government began the first set of restrictions across the nation, with the Invercargill Embassy being closed on March 19, 2020, and the President addressed the virus on March 22 and announced the creation of the Emergency Health Alert Level (EHAL) on March 5.

The nation joined New Zealand and locked down the entire Union on March 23, 2020, which was two days before New Zealand moved to Alert Level 4, and the EHAL was put at 5.

Since then three citizens were tested for the virus, one in 2020, one in 2021, and three in 2022 neither came back positive.

In 2021, the Federal Government created the Covid-19 Response Council, which has now become the Arstotzkan Disease and Infection Direction Administration and since its creation has lead the Federal response to the virus.

In subsequent interviews, the First President has stated that the likelihood of the Arstotzkan Union seeing its first case before January 2022, is "incredibly high". During sessions with members of the Executive Committee of the Office of the Presidency, both General Secretary's have urged that all citizens report a COVID diagnosis immediately, with plans on sending Covid-19 Relief Packages to those infected being pushed by the First President using personal funding rather than state funding.

On the night of February 24, 2022, the Arstotzkan Union recorded its first case of Covid-19. After surviving nearly two years, the Arstotzkan Union got its first case.

Following months of no Covid activity, First President Ethan Brinkman contracted the virus a second time while living in the Te Whakapaipai Territory. Weeks later, on 14 April 2023 another member of the First Family contracted COVID-19.

Timeline of COVID-19 in the Arstotzkan Union

March - May 2020 Lockdown

On March 23, 2020, President Ethan Brinkman, announced that along with New Zealand, that they were moving to Emergency Health Alert Level 5 on March 24, 2020. During this time all government operations were moved to the Gollandiya Territory (AUDF Base: Maungatapu at the time). Over the lockdown the President continued to help run the election and on May 1 the first democratic election took place between the two main parties, the United Government Alliance and the Arstotzkan Labour Party.

On the evening of May 17, 2020, the President announced that the nation would move to EHAL 3 and allow transit to the Arstotzkan Union and would open the border along the Czechoslovakia Line (former border line). This would effectively end the Lockdown in the Arstotzkan Union.

June 2020 - February 2021 Interim Period

During this time the Arstotzkan Union had an period at which the EHAL remained between 2 and 1. On February 15, 2021, just five days after the end of the Arstotzkan - Confederate War, the EHAL was moved to 3. This was the first time since that the EHAL was moved to 3 since the end of the previous lockdown in May 2020.

February Outbreak

During this time the EHAL remained at 3. The Ministry of Health still remained in control of the Arstotzkan Union with regard to Covid-19 however the Federal Government began to look at using the Arstotzkan Disease and Infection Direction Administration. On February 27, the AUNNN announced that the nation would remain at EHAL 3. On March 3 the EHAL was lowered to 2 and 1 on March 5, 2021.

March - August 2021 Interim Period

Over this time the Arstotzkan Union remained at EHAL 1. During this time the Arstotzkan Union restored Ethan Brinkman as the First President. By August preparations had begun for Union21, which was advertised as the biggest Commemoration Day celebrations. This would take place on August 22 and commemorate the day of the founding of the Arstotzkan Union. However on August 17 the New Zealand Government announced a Alert Level 4 lockdown in response to a confirmed case of the Delta Variant (lineage B.1.617.2), one hour later, following an emergency meeting of the Federal Congress, the Arstotzkan Union moved to EHAL 5 for the first time in over a year.

August - September 2021 Lockdown

The Arstotzkan Union remained at EHAL 5 until the ADIDA General Secretary announced that it was safe to move to EHAL 3 on September 8, 2021. During this time, the Office of the Presidency still hosted Union21 and also created the Covid-19 Response and Public Health Safety Act 2021 and the Arstotzkan Statute on Government Systems (2021).

November 2021 - February 2022 Interim Period

Since the lockdown in September 2021, the ADIDA ruled that for the protection and safety of all citizens, the EHAL must remain at 3 across all areas of the Arstotzkan Union. In late 2021, the Executive Committee released a statement warning of the increasing threat of Delta to citizens in the Arstotzkan Union, this has since been changed and overruled with the arrival of Omicron in New Zealand. According to the First President the threat of a case of Omicron in the Arstotzkan Union is:

"Higher than it has ever been with previous variants and we could see the entire nation infected within a matter of months." - First President Ethan Brinkman, February 12th 2022, Executive Committee Congressional Meeting on the Effect of the Omicron Variant on the Independent Federal Republic of the Arstotzkan Union

On the night of February 24, 2022, the Arstotzkan Disease and Infection Direction Administration announced that two cases of Covid-19 had been detected in the Arstotzkan Union and were in the Shotlandiya Territory. As per the protocols in the Covid-19 Response and Public Health Safety Act 2021, the territory was quickly pushed into a lockdown.

February 2022 - May 2022 Outbreak

On the night of February 24, 2022, the Arstotzkan Union recorded its first cases. One was a citizen and the other a resident. On March 2 the number went to 5 after four residents of the Severyanin Territory tested positive. On March 4 the Office of the Presidency announced that there was a possibility that the First President had contracted the virus after coming in contact with multiple positive cases, however a negative RAT test disproved it. On the morning of March 7 another person in the Severyanin tested positive raising the number to 6.

On March 22nd 2022, the First President announced that he would be invoking the Article of Executive Privilege and place Second President, Peter Gedye as Acting First President and Acting Kommondant. Later that evening, the AUNNN reported that the First President had contracted COVID-19. This made the Gollandiya Territory the third Territory to see cases and the first time the virus had infected a major member of the Federal Government.

On April 2nd 2022 the ADIDA and Ministry of Health ruled that the Outbreak was over and the Arstotzkan Union was in the clear again. However on May 7th 2022 it was discovered that Second President Peter Gedye contracted the virus, four days before the Arstotzkan Federal Government was to begin removing Covid restrictions including the Covid-19 Response and Public Health Safety Act 2021. On 21 May 2022, the Outbreak was declared over again.

Post Pandemic

In mid-June 2022 the First President removed all Covid-19 restrictions and admitted the pandemic over. On 7 December 2022 the Arstotzkan Disease and Infection Direction Administration announced that a new case had been recorded in the Gollandiya Territory, however it was announced that it did not pose a threat to the public and that cases will rise but no further government actions were to be formed.

In late 2023 the Gollandiya Capitol Territory and Te Whakapaipai Territory both recorded a spike in COVID-19 cases. By 1 January 2024, the Gollandiya, Te Whakapaipai, Angliyskiy Territories all recorded spikes in COVID for the first time since the Pandemic.

At the start of February 2024, two more cases of COVID-19 were recorded at the Gollandiya Capitol Territory. In response to this the Arstotzkan Disease and Infection Direction Administration declared an outbreak naming it the January - February Outbreak.

With the announcement of the two cases. The State Council of Rangataiki declared a State of Emergency on the advise of First President Ethan Brinkman.