A Virus That Knew Borders. COVID-19 Patients Zero Worldwide and the Strength of Transnationalism

Abstract In less than 3 months in 2020, COVID-19 spread to more than 200 countries and turned into a global pandemic that affected all world regions. Far from being a “post-Westphalian” virus that knew no borders, COVID-19 remained embedded in unequal patterns of international mobilities. To substantiate this claim, I devised an original methodology inspired by “thing-following studies”. A dataset was created on all patients zero worldwide (n = 287) in the 206 countries where they were identified. Empirically, my findings dismantle some myth about the international spread of COVID-19. First, the data put Europe – rather than China – at the core of the pandemic: four Western European countries exported half of all patients zero to entire regions like South America or Africa, reflecting postcolonial legacies. Second, twothirds were in fact nationals who brought back the virus to their own country. Third, a majority were involved in cross-border activities relating to business, family, religion or education, rather than tourism – most of them middle-aged men. Theoretically, this demonstrates the strength of transnational activities among international mobilities. Transnationalism appears as a crucial – though deeply unequal – infrastructure of our current globalization.