Agnieszka Pikulicka-Wilczewska is an Uzbekistan-based journalist currently reporting from Afghanistan. She has been covering COVID-19 in the country for the past week with a focus on the situation of coronavirus and its spread across the country. We got in touch with Agnieszka and asked her about the state of the global pandemic in Afghanistan and how she has been covering it so far.

“The experience has been good so far; in fact, it is surprisingly usual. Afghanistan is not totally locked. Shops are still working and people can still be seen on the streets, though less in numbers, so is the traffic. I started covering COVID-19 last week when the number of positive cases in the country were lower. At the time, I would just walk around the city without any problems and also went to hospitals to visit people coming back from Iran. I reported without major obstacles,” she said when speaking with CFWIJ.

Agnieszka informed us that the majority of COVID-19 cases in Afghanistan have been reported in Herat due to its proximity to Iran’s border. Agnieszka said that thousands of people cross the border everyday, while trying to escape the pandemic in Iran. However, she said that the numbers are by far not precise enough. 

“This is because Herat, and Afghanistan in general, is doing very few tests, which is why the number of cases have been much underestimated,” she said and added that this was also what the officials have stated so far.

In terms of the information flow Agnieszka said that it has not been as difficult to keep up with it. “We just know that everyday towards the evening we’ll have a new update. We know when we can expect new information. The number of cases are rising everyday, which is scary, but what’s the fact that they are underreported is scarier,” Agnieszka told CFWIJ.

In terms of safety and hygiene, Agnieszka said that she tries to put on the mask when she goes out and avoids physical contact. However, wearing the mask for her can be difficult at times.

“We are facing a very new phenomenon. I find it very difficult to manage it. I don’t know whether my work as a journalist is endangering me in any way or not. Sometimes, I do interviews without a mask, because this way I don’t show people that I’m afraid of them. I know it might put me in potential danger but at the same time it is very difficult to socially manage such situations,” Agnieszka said, highlighting the trouble she finds balancing between her safety and respect towards the person she is speaking with.

Agnieszka further spoke about the travel restriction issues that she might face in the future in terms of going back to Uzbekistan.

“We already know that Uzbekistan - where I usually live - is under total lockdown. I probably won't be able to go back there by crossing the border between the two countries. I knew that when I left the country and it was my deliberate decision,” she said.

Agnieszka added that even though she is worried about going back to Uzbekistan or Poland - her home country, she is hopeful that things will soon get better. “For the moment, I’m trying not to think about it and to finish my work here until the situation is good enough to report.”

In terms of coping with mental stress following her COVID-19 reporting, Agnieszka stated that she simply practices self-care techniques that she has developed over the past years during her career.

“When I’m just trying to withdraw for a few hours a day or when I feel too much stress and pressure. I try to read books and speak to my family. I also make sure to engage in other activities apart from my work, which in the recent days has been quite difficult because I have been focusing on reporting all the time,” she said and added that the current situation, in fact, does not affect her more than her usual reporting from Afghanistan.

“It is always difficult and challenging when it comes to my mental health, so I don’t think that this situation is particularly difficult. I'm trying not to think about when I will see my family next which is probably a long time. I'm trying to focus on the here and now, and the tasks that I have in front of me. I'm an optimist by nature and I just assume and hope that when the time comes I’ll be able to go back to Uzbekistan or Poland,” Agnieszka shared when speaking with CFWIJ.

Agnieszka thinks she does not have much to share in terms of tips for other journalists following the unique challenges around reporting the COVID-19 health crisis. However, she advises journalists to not overstep their limitations and only do the things that they are able to cope with psychologically and physically.

“Chasing a story just to prove yourself that you can do it is not the best approach. Everyone should just know their own limits and capacities. Try not to overstep your own boundaries,” Agnieszka said.