What The Pandemic Has Done To The World

In a matter of months, a virus that cannot be seen by the eye spreads to all parts of the world.

It was in November when the fatal coronavirus had originated and begun to advance silently throughout the Wuhan city, thereafter, leading to other countries ans of the world.d continents. Currently, US, Italy, Spain, and France are the leading countries for COVID cases. As many as 200 countries are filled with cases, and everyone is thinking : When is this going to end? Are we going to ever go back to normal life? Many countries have taken restrictive measures, but despite this, cases are dramatically increasing. This leaves people thinking, what other safety practices should we implement? Over the months, the society has executed major decisions, leaving people to wonder how effective authorities are handling the situation. Most importantly, the pandemic has placed millions of lives at risk of getting the virus.

It’s not surprising to hear that the crisis has led to negative consequences in our daily lives. Besides the fact that death rate is spiking, there are significant changes regarding jobs, economy, social life, relationships, and mental health that are worth discussing.

1. Economy Shutting Down And Impact On the Lower Class

The shutdown of the economy puts down lots of workers at risks, notably waiters, and others in the food industry.

Economy has been hit-hard in many different ways, ever since the pandemic. Social distancing, fear, and restrictions have prevented people from travelling. This has hurt the airlines industry along with tourism. According to the World Tourism Organization, during the first quarter of 2020, the COVID pandemic has caused 22% alleviation in international tourism. It is also predicted that the crisis can potentially lead to a 60% to 80% decline in the number of tourists in comparison to 2019.

With gatherings triggering the spread of the virus, the entertainment industry, including music, cinema, museums, parks, and sports are also hit hard. Fortunately, some of these industries are trying to conduct virtual tours and concerts. Despite virtual options, some industries like film and sports entertainment can’t be moved online because it involves physical interaction.

In contrast to film industries, shopping has transitioned to online shopping, affecting it less. Now, going to the mall, grocery shopping, and restaurants has been less of a priority because of online shopping. Delivering at the doorstep is starting to become more of the “norm” to avoid going out. However, the sudden shutdown in the economy has also deeply affected the lower working class. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 25% of Latinos in the United States work in food related services, in restaurants, spas, in grocery stores, etc. It’s also reported that Hispanics are accounted for 16.1% of the 146.3 million employed people in the US in 2014. So with public places closing down, they are left at a disadvantage. With schools closed down and going virtual, disadvantaged students don’t have access to technology as well.

1. Social Life And Change in Relationships

It's been reported that divorce rates are on the spike-up.

Believe it or not, self-isolation policies and public restrictions have broken family relationships. Many people believe that the high-divorce rates are spiking, due to the stress some spouses feel being forced to spend more time together. The pandemic has imposed restrictions also in terms of finance stability, health, and employment, and the emotional stress that could possibly toll out on marriage.

“According to a recent CNBC report highlighting potential consequences of prolonged period of ‘self-imposed confinement, ’ divorce lawyers typically see a surge in divorce cases after the summer and during the holidays, when families are confined at home for longer periods than normal” (statesattorney.org). The same thing can be assumed about the coronavirus quarantine; families are confined for a longer time. Divorce chances are higher between a couple with an already strained relationship.

According to the States Attorney, “domestic violence hotlines and law enforcement agencies across the country report a spike in domestic abuse calls, since quarantine”. Domestic violence generally occurs at home, or any other environment in isolation from the public. Typically, in a normal day to day life, domestic violence rates are lesser because we have more freedom, and spend time outside that avoids more contact with the abuser. However, the pandemic has given abusers the perfect time, as the victims are isolated from their friends and everyone else.

While seeing all the tragedies spill out during this pandemic, everyone is thinking, How is life going to change afterwards? As mentioned above, the pandemic has broken families physically and literally and impacted jobs, but the level of stress encountered and morals gained can trigger the world to develop in a positive way. In facts, some aspects of the world have already improved due to the coronavirus.

1. Humanity has united

Even though everyone is divided physically, the pandemic has united all of us one against the virus. Throughout history, we all have discriminated against ourselves in different ways, by our race, ethnicity, gender, etc. Even though we are of one species, we have engaged in wars, genocide and spread hate. Even in the 21st century, we found no change, with war still persisting. Currently, we still face discrimination, but especially during this pandemic, it has triggered several protests and public concern toward this subject “Black Lives Matter” more than ever. Perhaps the self-quarantining is allowing us to reflect and act toward a long due neglected matter.

The COVID pandemic is equivalent to war, in terms of the number of victims affected. Just like the Civil War and Great Depression, there was a shift in the economy. Most of the wars throughout history impacted multiple countries, not the whole world. COVID is different because it isn't hurting one or two countries, but it is hurting the whole world. With COVID’s presence, healthcare workers and other officials are trying to help affected patients. People around the world are coming together to solve this problem by coming up with a vaccine to eradicate this virus.

2. We are treating the world and other creatures with respect

Rare birds such as the, Cardelius, are now starting to become a common sight.

Humans are extremely dominant in the landscape, and we fail to acknowledge the space of other species too. We have built houses and buildings that have destroyed the habitats of birds and other species. The increased usage of vehicles and intensive work in factories have led to pollution and hazards into the Earth’s atmosphere. Because this is a pandemic and not an epidemic, our whole world is trapped, and cannot flee somewhere, to a safer place. This crisis prevented humans from going outside, and further doing these destructive things on Earth.

Obviously, humanity views this crisis as a punishment, but it wouldn’t be surprising if wildlife view this as paradise. Without environmental pollution and human intervention, animals can finally stand on their own feet peacefully. Because of less pollution emission, we can see the stars more clear in the sky along with more colorful creatures. This contrast with the normal conditions before the pandemic shows how our species are invasive, and how much better our environment looks without unnecessary intervention. This situation is another way of limiting us, so that other species can finally have a chance to be free. Hopefully, people can take this time to realize about the destruction done everyday, and reflect about how beautiful this world is, and that we shouldn’t abuse nature and the animals.

3. Value everyday life

Before the pandemic, we took everything for granted. Only during the pandemic, we realized how privileged we were to have the freedom to go shopping, go to school/work, meet people, etc. Generally, people would rather sit at home and watch Netflix rather than go to school or work. After this ends, hopefully humanity will value the normal everyday life. After all, we shouldn’t always fear this pandemic, but we should take a moment to appreciate the liberation of other species and make sure that we don’t let these mistakes occur again.

Edited By: The Eureka Journal Committee