How COVID-19 Can Positively Impact Society

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By Nikki Slusher

The coronavirus pandemic will undoubtedly be one of the most memorable moments in American History. Mainly it will be remembered due to the failures that were illuminated once things took a huuuuge downturn. As of August 2020, the country is still devastated by the affects of COVID-19. The economy is in a recession, our unemployment system basically collapsed with more than half of claimants still pending benefits months later, no accountability or legislation answering our issues by our Congress, and simultaneously protests engulfed the country after the death of George Floyd. We do not have many answers and our still facing the great unknown – what will be the lasting impact of the greatest pandemic of the century?

Unknown is scary because everything we are seeing in our daily lives – social media, news outlets, constant political ads – shows us a future of anarchy and chaos based off who wins the November election. If you vote for Biden, the country will be overrun by ANTIFA and police will not exist while the Cabal, run by George Soros and Hillary Clinton, will take over leading to the Apocalypse. If you vote for Trump, you are deemed a racist bigot who is blindly following the Anti-Christ and going to kill us all because the “hoax” ended up as real followed by a Civil War/Apocalypse. Do either of these statements sound like reality? This election is extremely important, but it is not going to be the singular item that will lead us to the end of the world.

The facts are no one is the anti-Christ, ANTIFA is like 3 people who hold weekly meetings in their mom’s basement, the police will not be defunded (like ever), and the Apocalypse is not happening anytime soon. God, Muhammad, Buddha, Confucius, and the Flying Spaghetti Monster are all probably too busy wondering what the hell they are watching. It is time we also reflect on how the same microscopic virus that has caused an immense amount of destruction to our society also brought good.

Hygiene standards have also drastically inclined since March. People are washing their hands often, covering their mouths while coughing, and began staying home from work if they were sick. Constant sanitizing has also become a large part in our daily routines. Stores sanitizing counters, doors, carts, and personal sanitizers for customers at the entrance all are newly implemented changes that will most likely remain once we return to some normalcy. We are most likely going to see stricter mandates and regulations implemented by lawmakers to ensure these efforts continue.

Innovation has gone above and beyond what anyone could have imagined even 20 years ago. Companies worldwide began developing products and service ranges to enable employees to continue to interact and work together while spending more time with your family at home. Video chat apps like Zoom and Skype have changed the way schools can teach, teams can conduct meetings from across the world, and even how the courts in certain areas hold session. Video office space and digital classrooms have been introduced as alternative ways to continue our existing daily flow. If another pandemic is to ever arise, these collaborative tools will be welcomed.

Remote teams have shown during the lockdown that coworkers had more trust in one another, while managers were able to trust employees more without looking over their shoulders constantly. The enhancement from such video technology can change how a child can view what they missed in class with the actual teacher’s lesson or allowing judges and magistrates who must travel to different locations to hold court can reduce their travel time. Conferences where companies must pay for travel and board may lead to more seminars through video calls to decrease spending. If spending on large expenses, such as travel, are decreased then employers could potentially utilize some of the funds towards higher wages or more employee benefits.

Remote teaching has provided one surprising positive affect on college students. Colleges had transitioned to fully online during lockdown and have enabled them to continue. Infrastructural costs for the institutions drastically declined and without students having to bear the brunt of that cost, some courses offered online have became more affordable.

Real estate is predicted to be quite low for a time. Although this will probably hit homeowners and banks hard it is a time where larger companies and municipalities can purchase property in areas that need to be revitalized. Bringing this redevelopment may provide residents new job opportunities, it will bring construction projects and contracts, and helps engage private markets with low income people to provide the community with mainstream markets and services such as grocery markets and financial services.

The environment also benefited from the pause on life coronavirus brought us. During lockdowns, most employees were ordered to stay home bringing regular activities to a halt. For industries such as mining, oil drilling, and manufacturing the stop created a dramatic reduction in air pollution. Social distancing meant less traveling both locally and globally. The decrease in use of private and public transportation also reduced air pollution. Additionally, declines in industrial fields and transportation has led to reductions in other environmental pollutants including waste management and recycling, cleaner beaches, and decreased noise levels. In China alone, air toxins dropped 20 to 30 percent nationally and created air quality improvements that have increased the health of their citizens.

Furthermore, it is apparent that the world and the US was not prepared for a pandemic or disaster to this extent. Economically and disaster preparedness and response efforts have so far only been short-term solutions for long-term problems. Our federal and state organizations, agencies, and programs were underfunded and underprepared for something this catastrophic. Strategic plans will be developed to address these failures to try and ensure in the future we avoid these consequences. Furthermore, research has always been severely underfunded. After the pandemic, it is evident that research for our scientists is imperative in preventing future disasters. Collaborative efforts among researchers within the same specialized areas will also be necessary.

On a personal level the coronavirus has brought a trait seems that most people no longer have – empathy. Newfound respect for people who are often overlooked – the homeless, the ones receiving unemployment or other social welfare services – have become viewed as less of “living off the government” and more of just trying to survive. The difficulties many have experienced filing for unemployment benefits and food stamps show a real problem with these programs. Over 44 percent of initial COVID-19 unemployment claims were denied the first time. It also takes weeks to be approved and receive the first check; weeks most do not have when over half over Americans live paycheck to paycheck with less than $400 in savings. Parents who had to teach from home when classrooms went virtual. Teaching a child five days a week is no easy task. Early childhood programs also were closed which left two income families trying to make plans for childcare.

What finally happened is that we realized that a microscopic organism could take us out and completely shake up our world. We realized we aren’t invincible, we need our communities and social programs for support in tough times, and we must prepare ourselves so that in 100 years from now our descendants do not suffer the same devastation as we did this year. We must acknowledge the failures, address the problems, and periodically review our solutions to confirm these processes work.

Earlier when I spoke on the election, I wanted to give a visualization of what we keep being told the world is going to end up like. We have lost almost 200,000 Americans this year, we do not want to see this continue. So as important as I find this presidential election to be it is also important to remember it is also your state and local leaders who will impact you the most. The lesson I hope the people of this country have learned is that politics may be seen as a business but so is the government. Just like a business needs competent CEO, Board, and personnel to work correctly so does the federal government.

This article hopefully brings some light to a dim time in the country. We know the destruction but looking at the glass half full we may have also completely reinvented how society functions and interacts. As the Earth takes this time to heal and refresh, we should do the same. After you are refreshed and ready to see these changes that will better us then go out, take charge, and make it happen. Vote, volunteer, and always remember the wise words of Bob Marley, “Every little thing is going to be alright.”

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