The COVID 19 pandemic has shocked the world suddenly. There are no clouds when this crisis will ends. However, we to get your help in identifying the following ”
– What we need to capture for this experience?
– How we can capture the values?
– What we can do now, and after the employees come to work again?
And anything else that we need to plan for.
Article
It would be an understatement to say that the novel coronavirus has changed the ways of life globally. The virus first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan and slowly encompassed about 210 countries, resulting in the deaths of more than 1.5 million people in just a mere five months. The scale of covid-19 might be global, but its wave has not hit every country equally at the time as the number of reported cases and severe ones as well appear to be far higher in Europe and the US than in the rest of the world. China claims to have “flattened the curve” and has reduced restrictions related to social distancing, presently the only solution available for covid-19. This article will explore the changing way of life, lessons learnt from living in quarantine, the economic impact, and when life gets back to the “norm” (or will it?).
The coronavirus outbreak has changed a lot about normal lifestyles. With the closing of schools, universities, prayer places, shopping malls, parks and almost all the places except the hospitals and quarantine centres, a virtual lifestyle has peaked as meeting, classes and appointments have shifted to video calls over the internet. Along with the self-isolation policy, all of us are to follow to flatten the curve and reduce the spread of the virus, the closing of institutions for some has brought negative feelings. Another major change in the ways of life is that a safe distance of about 6 feet is to be maintained and no physical contact ought to be made with people who don’t physically live with you. This means that the affectionate gestures of meet and greet, such as a handshake or a hug, have vanished. These simple things in life are being missed by many so much so that a sense of fear and paranoia too has prevailed. Some people are structuring creative schedules as coping mechanisms such as cooking, giving themselves a haircut, painting and catching up with their readings. Additionally, travel bans have been implemented, and public gatherings made illegal. Quarantine and the lockdowns are new for mostpeople, but the threat of the deadly virus is forcing people to obey the order, though there are some exceptions.
The covid-19 outbreak has learnt numerous and profound lessons. Many people have realized that they have been taking simple things in life for granted and claim that they will appreciate life more after the battle with the virus is over. An important lesson leant from the virus is the fact that even significant parts of the world were unprepared for the virus, even after knowing the damage it had caused in Wuhan. The lack of efficient leadership on a political level has made people see the major loopholes in the healthcare and medical branch. For instance, the President of the US was warned time and again to prepare for the outbreak of the virus. Still, he kept on ignoring the advisory personnel until it was too late and not the US is the most severely affected country from covid-19, having lost more than 40,000 lives in just a month and a half. Despite the warnings of many scientists that the world needs to prepare for a pandemic, even the most developed countries ignored the call and are now suffering because of their ignorance.
The Chief environmentalist of the UN said, “The separation of health and environmental policy is a dangerous delusion. Our health entirely depends on the climate and the other organisms we share the planet with.” Hence, orders are being given to call off the unhygienic intake of food and the suggestive time to time washing of hands is proving beneficial for fighting against the virus.
Further, the efforts of the medical administration including, doctors, nurses and the rest of the medical staff, is extremely plausible as they have been fighting for their patients by putting themselves at risk and sacrificing meeting their loved ones to protect them. They have been declared the frontline fighters and their efforts have been acknowledged by the entire world.
Another eye-opener for everyone has been the positive impact the virus has had on nature. The outcome of social distancing has meant that fewer cars are on the road; less space is occupied by the man that leaves more space for nature. Many factories have stopped production, lessening the air pollution index in many cities. According to a study done by Carbon Brief, a specialist outlet, the emission of polluted gases have fallen drastically, such as the carbon dioxide emissions fell by around 25% in China. There are many claims made that even the depletion of the ozone layer has slowed down and has instead recovered to an extent.
An important and worrisome impact of the virus other than the biological aspect is the economic aftermath. Many economists had predicted a world recession in 2020 before the pandemic, but this event has worsened it, and many global economists now suspect an economic depression. People being locked away and not producing materials is putting an immense burden on the economy. Hence many economists have been in favour of removing the lockdown, claiming that even if people survive the pandemic, the economic hardships afterwards might result in desperate times that may lead to their demise.
Leading world economist James Meadway stated “the correct Covid-19 response isn’t a wartime economy – with massive upscaling of production. Rather, we need an “anti-wartime” economy and a massive scaling back of production. And if we want to be more resilient to pandemics in the future (and to avoid the worst of climate change), we need a system capable of scaling back production in a way that doesn’t mean loss of livelihood.”
The coronavirus outbreak has made us realize how frail our market systems are. There are global alarm and speculation, and even governments are afraid that these systems might break down as supply chains are disrupted, social care is challenged, and healthcare has become questionable. Hence, a shift from the conventional economic system might provide a solution.
Many believe that this crisis has triggered a push towards economic imagination.
Finally, the most awaited question on everyone’s mind seems to be about going back to normalcy. It must be noted that many thinkers believe that the coronavirus is here to stay until its vaccine has developed. If it does not develop soon, then the period of social distancing will continue for a very long time, maybe even a year or two as postulated by many, such as analytical thinkers of the Business Insider and many more. However, some places that have successfully flattened the curve and have removed some restrictions such as China and Hong Kong. They are on their way back to the normal life, but it must be remembered that in the global village of today, no country can survive without others and if major world countries take longer to reopen their system, then the fully functional countries would not be able to continue trade and commerce that would naturally impact their economic and social systems.
It can be said that although there have been many pandemics before, this one feels completely new as the era it targeted did not expect it at all and despite the world being transformed into a post-modern world, it still lacks the basic necessities of proper health care and hygiene. The quarantine life may seem a bit bland as compared to the previous jovial life; it is a duty on all of us to protect ourselves and our loved ones from the heinous disease. Thus we should follow the instructions given by the authorities and hope for better days.
References
Blodget, Henry. When Will Life Go Back To Normal Again? Insider Today: Business Insider.
Oroschakoff, Kalina. 6 Ways the Coronavirus is Changing the Environment. POLITICO.
Torres, Ella. How life has changed since coronavirus struck. ABC news.
