Oct 23, 2020:(UNI/ SpotLYK Media): According to sociologists, throughout history, pandemics such as the Bubonic Plague (14th Century), Smallpox Pandemic (16th Century), Cholera Outbreak (19-20th Centuries, the Spanish Flu (20th Century) create such upheaval in human civilization that they mark a point when we break away from the past and create a new world. This is because the horrors unleashed by pandemics reaffirm the need for changing traditions that are not conducive to the progress of humanity.
Some old ways are scrapped, some are improved upon and new socio-economic trends are embraced. The COVID-19 pandemic is going to be no different in terms of the changes it is beginning to generate.
Rise of the digital economy
We are entering a contactless world. Metamorphosing into a digital entity is essential to a business’s survival. B2B and B2C interactions have been taking place over the internet. Any doubts regarding the efficacy of shifting operations online have been silenced.
Activities, movements, meetings, trade fairs are restricted. And as industries responded with an urgent transition to the only other viable means of staying in business, everyone began to realize that switching to the digital world is cost-effective and productivity soars. Along with that, employees too get a better handle on work-life balance. Happy employees translate to booming businesses.
The growth of the digital economy and work-from-home culture also witnessed burgeoning reliance on social media and digital marketing as a means of reaching out to clients and other businesses and ironing out all existing kinks. This crisis has bred tremendous digital ingenuity in the field of businesses.
Healthcare improvement
The COVID-19 pandemic has focused the spotlight on the languishing healthcare services the world over. Most countries, especially in Asia and Africa are miserably equipped to deal with any kind of health emergency, let alone a pandemic.
COVID-19 has made governments accountable to the people. The common folk now realize that their elected representatives are not putting their taxes to good use. This gives us hope that governments will apportion a greater percentage of the GDP to revamp healthcare systems.
Healthcare is a fundamental human right and people have become more aware of the need for affordable and accessible medical services.
Need for environmental reforms
The early days of lockdown put a brake on human activities and nature breathed a sigh of relief. The effect was almost immediate. Air quality indices everywhere improved, oxygen levels in freshwater bodies and rivers increased, and even the top 10 most polluted cities of the word reported normal particulate matter levels.
The battle for pushing austere environmental reforms will get an impetus. We have clear evidence that sustainable and reduced means of production can clean up the air, water, and soil. Again, greater awareness among the masses will facilitate the green movement. By mandating work-from-home wherever possible, governments and the private sector can now attempt to curb vehicular emissions.
Rise of online healthcare services
The COVID-19 pandemic drove home the fact that we need to go out as few times as possible. This initiated the growth of online healthcare services. People who never used to order medicines online had no option but to do so and realized how convenient it is to have medicines delivered to your doorstep.
Online pharmacies such as MedPlus Mart, PharmEasy, Practo capitalized on this trend and began to work round the clock to deliver sanitized medication. They also began to offer online doctor consultations, which keeps both doctors and patients safe from the clutches of coronavirus
Online education
With educational institutes having remained closed for the most part of the year, online education was the only alternative. And now, it is all set to be the new norm. With greater internet penetration, online courses can make education more accessible across the spectrum of humanity.
More awareness regarding health
It took a pandemic to wake people up to the need for self-care. Common health conditions like obesity, hypertension, diabetes, or arthritis make COVOD-19 severe. This has led people to take better care of their health to prevent and maintain health complications. People are working out more and eating healthily.
A safety net for workers
Mass migrations and complete impoverishment brought the plight of the working class and the widening inequality of the classes to light not just in India but in most developing nations. This calls for the implementation of basic universal income, and robust social welfare schemes. As a welfare state, a country like India owes it to its people, to provide them with the means to earn a decent income and a life of dignity.
We can expect dizzying changes in the post-COVID-19 world. But we all need to be part of the change together so that they prop us up instead of weighing us down.