Will the world change for the better after COVID-19?

What is it like after the COVID-19 pandemic is over?

A crisis emerged causing the change of our priorities around the world and placed the health sector on the front line to fight a virus threatening the existence of mankind, is now developing to become a long-lasting nightmare, so how will the world change after the COVID-19 pandemic passes? Maybe this is the question that has been constantly on our minds and our governments’ minds, and with all this precautionary measures taken to face this pandemic, it’s expected that we will be much more prepared for any future pandemics across all sectors.

This is not the first time the world is facing a killer pandemic, if we go back and take a look at some of the pandemics that hit earth, we see that what we are going through is quite similar what previous generations went through. To list a few, in the 1350s the United Kingdom was faced with what is called the black plague that changed its economic conditions and altered many aspects of the demographics in the region. In 1520 the Smallpox play a significant role in the downfall of the Aztec empire, and most recently in 1918 the Spanish Flu that caused the death of millions. This was all in a world that is different from today’s reality, which brings us to ask the following question:

Will we witness a significant positive change after the COVID-19 pandemic?

Opinions were divided between those who support the statement and those who oppose it.

Supporting arguments:

We will be prepared for the worst in the future

A world that is fighting a killer virus will learn to not commit the same mistakes over again. The wide spread of the pandemic was faced by overdue decisions, mainly because of the lack of protective plans in place or causing great damages to humanity and to the economy. To not fall in this trap again countries will place precautionary and emergency plans to face future pandemics and biological warfare, and ideally incur far less damages economically, politically, and most importantly reduce deaths that could occur from future pandemics. This factor indicates that indeed the world will be better after this pandemic. In addition to that, the preparation to face future dangers is not limited governments and is not based solely on the economic, health and political sectors, but extends to citizens. Individuals who have been affected psychologically by the major changes in their daily lives whether it’s quarantine, social distancing, or partial and total lock-down, people have grown the ability to adapt to any harsh conditions and get used to the temporary lifestyle imposed by these epidemics.

Focusing on future developments and technological advancements

After this pandemic, the world will move towards developing new techniques to deal with viruses, because at the end of the day, being prepared is not enough. Countries need to have developed technologies and advanced curricula in communicable diseases. Also, the techniques that have failed in facing this crisis will be excluded in the future, which will accelerate the process of selecting the most appropriate technique in fighting viruses.

The delay in finding a vaccine for COVID-19 is the best proof that highlights our need to reviews the level of knowledge that we have reached and the urgent need to develop methods to detect epidemics before they spread. For example travelling through airports or seaports will witness higher surveillance methods and better technologies to detect viruses. Technological advancements will not be limited to the creation of detection and monitoring devices, as most homes have turned into a place of work, we will need faster communication and advanced networking capabilities and technological infrastructure to mimic the same work environment at home.

Opposing arguments:

We need to fix what is in hand before planning for the future

Reaching a stage of future development and advancement will require a stable state with sufficient funds, and this is not the case right after fighting a deadly virus for months. The economy got a huge hit, global stocks have been affected and interest rates of global banks have fallen and will need great efforts to recover. The recovery from such huge losses will last years to compensate for the substantial losses and the decrease of manpower. Therefore, it’s not feasible to begin planning for the future until we recover from the side effects of this current pandemic. The travel bans that were imposed along with the multiple measures to fight the virus caused the economy to be crippled, and our only option now is for the virus to be eradicated. The world that doesn’t comprehend the truth that “Human beings are the economy” will not change for the better. What happened in Europe from delays in dealing with the virus and the collapse of the economy is enough evidence that neglecting human lives for the sake of the economy will in fact hinder these countries in the future. People are what drives the economic wheel and without people the wheel will stop, however governments are still treating people like commodities and are still trying to revive the economy if it poses a risk to human life.

Nothing will change…

People who spent a long time in isolation, and were deprived from social gatherings and outings, will be more willing to return to a life that would give them from space and freedom and there need to travel will increase. Human beings are social in nature, it cannot be assumed that a person will always be adjusted to an isolated lifestyle once we go back to normal. This means that the level our earth recovered from and the reduction in pollution due to reduced use of transportation vehicles and from closing factories will simply return to its previous levels. The economy that is supposed to support new technologies and advancements will return to fight climate change issues, thus it cannot be assumed that the world will be better after this crisis in light of all these challenges.