It has been a few weeks since the social distancing rule was enforced. The public now shares one common enemy, which is COVID-19. Different types of industries in the economy are impacted by this pandemic. Some, experiencing a positive impact, while most are experiencing a negative impact.

The understanding of this crisis is crucial, as the pandemic carried a major economic and financial loss. School, shops, sports are shut down, and you may now begin to consider that this will take months for everything to return to normal.  

A few lessons can be learned from this pandemic ranging from our views on health, lifestyle, economics, and politics.

Global unpreparedness

The coronavirus pandemic showed the world that the global economy lacks the coordination and preparation to address an outbreak like this. A global rule is missing to tackle an outbreak quickly. We are unprepared for the next natural disaster if nothing is changed in the health and welfare system.

Medical capacity couldn’t handle the surge in demand. We see how countries are finding it difficult to assemble an intensive care facility quickly.

The next natural disaster might be climate change or even another contagious disease. There is a need for change in global coordination and international standards in the supply chain, health, and environment.

Hand soap works!

Before the pandemic, people were not aware that different types of hand soaps are available in the market to kill certain bacteria and viruses. During the pandemic, the public educated themselves with different types of hygiene measures, for example, the 20-second hand wash rule. Both kids and adults are now aware that anything we touch can easily transmit viruses.

After this is all over, we will probably wash our hands more frequently than we do before, knowing that we had done more reading on the topic.

Internet is king

During this outbreak we have seen the power that digital access has. Despite the spike in internet usage, we now know that the internet is used for more beneficial reasons than ever.

Schools and universities delivering online classes, business meetings, pitches are done by video calls and online grocery shopping has reached its all-time high. Internet health service like GP Muhammad Mohsin stated that his internet health service Prime Medic experienced a 20% to 30% increase in online medical consultations over the past week.

We have seen how different industries had adapted their operations during the outbreak and we may be able to see an ongoing shift from offline to online after the pandemic ends.

I realized that internet connection should be categorized as a utility like water and electricity, it is essential.

The importance of socializing

The key to longevity is social connection. All the research shows that more connected people are happier and healthier in the long run. A lot of people are aware of this and now and is appreciating it more than before.

While we can’t be in close contact with our friends and families, it might be the right time to chat over the phone or video call with our loved ones. Human interaction is crucial during these times.

Useful cooking skills

Staying at home forced many of us to make our meals. Cooking skills are useful in this kind of situation where eating-in is the only option. People who can’t cook might be able to learn different dishes on YouTube easily!

My cooking tasted awful at the start of the quarantine, it made me realize my dependency on restaurants and how force-feeding myself with bad cooking affected my mood throughout the day. Cooking teaches you to be independent and gives you a sense of reward when you cook a meal on your own.

I hope this outbreak reaches its end soon without needing to extend the lockdown any longer. We must learn from the current situation so then we will be prepared to overcome the next natural disaster.