MIASU Seminar with Joanna Dolińska (University of Warsaw)

Can the Mongolian society return to the ‘pre-Covid normal’? Changes in the Mongolian society in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic

Joanna Dolińska (University of Warsaw)

In December 2019 most of the world community was about to embark on the winter break and slow down the usual business activities before the New Year’s celebrations. Mongolia, on the other hand, was carefully watching the developments which took place in the Wuhan province in China. A new disease, шинэ коронавирусийн халдвар, emerged and it was not clear if the scenario of 2003 SARS outbreak was not going to be repeated. Just in case, the Mongolian policy-makers took early measures to protect the Mongolian society from the new threat, before the Western European governments even took into consideration any serious steps, such as local or national lockdowns.

Covid-19 has been a global threat, yet not all affected countries made it to the headlines. Mongolia did. In fact, for two positive reasons. First of all, its policy-makers took decisions which consequently curled down the spread of COVID-19 in the Mongolian population until autumn 2020. Secondly, Mongolia was following a very successful vaccination diplomacy, leading to the high number of vaccination doses administered in the spring and summer 2021. 

The above-mentioned developments belong to the past. Mongolia went through several political crises and serious economic distress since then. While taking into account the events that took place in Mongolia during the Covid-19 pandemic, it is suggested to perceive Mongolia at this particular time as a micro-universe where dynamic changes took place within relatively dense intervals of time, the rules governing the social interactions differed from those applied in the calmer times, and the social heroes and anti-heroes represented different professional and social background than usual. 

Today, in early 2023 it is possible to reflect back on how the Covid-19 pandemic influenced the modern state of Mongolia. Putting the demographics and statistical Covid-19 related data aside, this presentation focuses on the influence of the global pandemic on the four domains: 

[1] Mongolia and the outside world

[2] Mongolian society

[3] Mongolian individuals at home

[4] Foreigners in Mongolia during Covid-19