2020 is a year that started off with people sharing memes about world war 3, and what they would do if it happened. Before the first quarter of the year is complete, over a billion people have been placed under locked down which includes the likes of India, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, South Africa and the list is long with another set of billions in most countries under partial lock down. The impact of COVID-19 thus varies from economic, to political and social contexts.
Economic Impact
It’s not just about business closing down but also people digging into their most liquid savings and disposing of their hard saved money. In the most developed countries people may be able to hoard tissues and other canned food but in less developed countries hoarding by the majority is not possible as their savings do not permit such an activity. Think of the street vendor who lives from their daily takings to be able to afford a meal for the day. Some show themselves in isolation in big houses, what about the person who stays in a two roomed house with 4 people or more people? The social impact of COVID-19 brings into question the economic outcome of every country.
On the other hand the shutting down of businesses means people will lose jobs and economies whilst the GDP will go down. In the end the adage still remains , “the poorer will get poorer”, as a trillion dollar economy can recover better than a USD5-8 billion dollar national budget economy like Zimbabwe or Zambia. The economic slow down will impact most regions setting back progress that would have been made.
Rights of Privacy and Human Rights
Weekly in March 2020 we were getting announcements by celebrities that they had tested positive and were now in self-isolation/quarantine. The impact meant people “could now” have their health status revealed in any way online, on TV on radio with some countries going further. Think of the 8 million cameras deployed in South Korea in which your movements could be traced to any particular point. Another story published in Forbes and seen on BBC, SkyNews talks of new tag bracelets to monitor a person’s every movement which were has since been implemented in Hong Kong as of March. We already have seen the use of drones and smart phones to monitor people in China, but the pandemic as declared by WHO has given rise to a new form of “privacy” for earth’s human residents.
Some national constitutions talk about the right to privacy and confidentiality if one is admitted or diagnosed with a disease however it is now obvious that this is a temporary right when faced with danger or national threat. The argument can also be rightly justified that some people will or will never comply with orders or advice to stay home hence the need to track them. Whatever the justifications or arguments the fact remains, the human society goes in circles right and no rights.
Humans’ Thinking
In Australia people where fighting over tissues and by the end of a two week period the same was being recorded in UK and many other places. It is not that there was not enough tissues in the world but that those with money had bought all the tissues off the shelves. When properly organised, the whole world can afford tissues, food ventilators etc, however when greed is the norm, the world cannot afford equal distribution.
Now, in the hospitals because of the corona virus, ventilators are needed as people’s respiration is affected due to the COVID-19 condition, however every country reported that there were not enough ventilators or beds as well as that they could not afford them. We live in a world where we glorify billionaires and admire them. We talk of Apple having more money than most governments, we talk of living in the USA the land of opportunity which is awash with money, and we sell footballers and athletes for ridiculous sums of money, however when it comes to getting basics such as masks and sanitizers all of a sudden it’s not possible. How is it possible that people can buy yachts but cannot afford to put ventilators in a hospital? Credit to Jack Ma who took it upon himself to donate masks and protective equipment to the whole of Africa which is a donation unheard of. If everyone did that then why would there be a short in ventilators and protective masks on planet earth? The test for corona virus is expensive yet most celebrities were being tested and announcing their results before we even knew that there was testing that could be done or should be done.
Fighting over tissues is a symptom of a bigger human society problem.
Psychological Inundation
Messaging apps, Facebook, twitter and social media apps have become inundated with news some of it fake and some of it true. The sheer volume of the “facts” and emotions can be overwhelming for some. We have arrived to a time where people can share anything and everything and where fake news also dwells in it.
How people take all the corona virus information is up to them but it can be too much for some whilst some want to keep informed. Others have panic attacks whilst some get the wrong information. Already three people in Nigeria suffered from over dose by taking chloroquine after hearing that it cures or prevents COVID-19, whilst others now have too much Vitamin-C in their bodies.
The level of information that is being put other will have its own impact on people in different ways.
Life Style Changes and Mistrust
A person who coughs in the bus was thrown out in a certain country, whilst in Zimbabwe people refused to have a Chinese man ride in the same bus. In USA the president called it a Chinese virus, in the same country a teacher of Chinese origin was shunned by her own students. People will find it hard to shake hands and those who are already shy from public areas will go even deeper into their personal space.
How we work and where we move around will be redefined depending on how long people are in isolation. Work from home always seemed like a cool thing to do but it seems like the sensible thing to do. Do people need to be in the office during a time when technology makes it possible to be online? This is a question that needs to be answered by society how
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