What the coronavirus will leave on us.
Humanity has been ravaged by horrific pandemics for the past centuries, the likes of the Spanish Flue(1918–1920), the Prehistoric epidemic(Circa 3000 B.C.) in China, the H1N1 Swine Flu pandemic(2009–2010), and the AIDS pandemic that is still ongoing. And many others. Some of these have signaled the change in our history and the way we live. Now, let us focus on the current COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 related illnesses commenced in late 2019 in Wuhan China and now have been reported in more than 100 countries. Within 4 months since the first reports of the coronavirus-related disease outbreak, a lot has happened. I can say this is the worst pandemic in my lifetime (I’m 22 years now) considering the damage it has directly and indirectly caused to my life. Now let’s delve deep into the story.
What is happening/will likely happen after the pandemic?
Thanks to the internet, you probably are well acquainted with the latest news regarding the coronavirus pandemic. The effects might have hit you, your family, or your friends, unfortunately.
Some sites have taken it to their advantage to spread fake news regarding the epidemic in order to gain more audience. This has directly led masses of people into an unintended panic. Unhelpful, as this has proven.
The US stock markets have suffered the worst since as early as 1987. Not only that, but the global economy has tanked also. Remember the pandemic is still ongoing, the worst might be impending.
It has thus been estimated that about 25 million people have lost their jobs due to this virus. Those who have been sent back to their countries have no guarantee that they will receive back their jobs. Dreadful.
Companies and universities that did not catch up with the internet age are hit the hardest. The former that is not able to provide remote working facilities are already experiencing heavy losses. The latter, since they can’t offer online are now betting for the pandemic to wane, to resume business!
The most saddening part is people are dying. People are dying like flies in heavily affected countries like Italy. Others are battling their lives in ICUs, and others outside ICUs because of insufficient medical facilities. These are, among other things the dangers that humanity is experiencing due to this pandemic.
So, what will likely take shape after this pandemic wanes out? I will give my thoughts here. First, policymakers and government officials will ponder upon national budgets towards health. It seems most nations are raring to plunge into war among each other, provided any serious conflicts between them, but almost none of them is ready to go to war against impending epidemics like COVID-19. Most countries will probably increase budgets towards R&D in health. We have been caught off-guard by this virus, and none of us was ready.
Also, this epidemic is an experiment on humans to see if they will follow the science. Science literacy has been declining for the past years leading people into diverse beliefs. Pop culture has led people to believe stupid ideas like, among other things, the flatness of Earth. People were slowly sliding away from objective truths. Some of these problems reflect flaws in most educational systems. But after this pandemic, most people will probably start to listen to scientists than they did the previous decades. This might be two-sided! Some might even increase their beliefs in whatever they believe in, provided it proves helpful during these times.
Finding visas to foreign countries, be it for travel, learning or business is likely going to become difficult. This does not need further explaining if you are following what is happening now regarding deportation and closure of borders, diminishing air flights towards specific countries.
Almost obvious is that most institutions will increase their budget to implement their internet infrastructure to cater for remote or online working. This means startups or fully developed companies involved in this business will experience growth.
And lastly, some cultures are going to be entirely reshaped. Many countries will have difficulty recovering. To some, this will appear as a definitive triumph for democracy. To others, it will showcase the clear ‘benefits’ of authoritarian rule.
But I have hope, hope that this is not the end of the interconnected world. The pandemic has so far proved interdependence between nations.
