COVID-19: HOW IT CHANGED PEOPLE’S LIFE AND PERSPECTIVE

As we all are informed that Covid-19 is a newly discovered infectious disease in 2019. This virus spreads mainly through saliva and nose and/or mouth discharges. Once you are infected, you will start experiencing any of the respiratory illnesses. And until now, there are still numbers of cases in some of the countries globally and it is still increasing every single day. There is also an unavailable vaccine or treatment for this terrible problem.

Most of us were too complacent because we expect that this shall pass to soon. And just like the other previous era of disease, everything will be back to normal yet we are wrong about it. Before the quarantine period, we did not save enough money to buy food and essentials. We just kept on purchasing unnecessary stuff, swiped our credit cards on any materials we have seen, and strolled to places we wanted to visit.  It annihilates a lot of people’s life because some have to stop their business, adjust their routines, and even lessen to meet and touch others physically.

This kind of infection requires us to wear our masks and/or protective gear and observe a meter of physical distancing in most of the places as it is still present today. Any kind of mass gatherings is not even allowed, and resumption of classes in school is strictly discouraged. We are also asked to be more cautious about our surroundings and think of how we spend our time productively. This is the time where we need to change our substantive life.

If this pandemic taught us anything, many people were strategic on how they can come up with solutions. We all had to test the water on how we can survive. There were instant bakers, cookers, vendors, and even riders or most commonly known as a delivery guy. Some were also working two to three jobs at the same time. We all had to do experimentation with digital opportunities to continue our life. Some already started promoting their business virtually by creating available and free social media accounts. Most people were already using applications for digital meetings or observing the work-from-home situation for adults and virtual education for students. The guests in an event are also limited and/or some opted to do it in the cloud instead of in-person conferences. The importance of technology is beneficial and challenging during this time. These proved not only to be effective but also an environment-friendly way to operate back in a connected world.

However, some things are uncertain and might not change at all even if things will be modified but it would make sense that if we are to grasp the opportunities offered by the digital world, it would be more efficient and safer for people. Moreover, certain aspects must still be observed to better attend to our post-pandemic needs. We strongly believe that this new normal that we practice is the first step in reducing the spread of the disease as we are still discovering its solution. We must be more responsible for taking actions and decisions for living differently that would allow us to give productivity and less stuff without increasing problem and negativity. Only then will we experience the post-pandemic world for now.