The WHO officially pronounced COVID-19 virus as a pandemic on 11 March 2020. The pandemic has infected nearly four million people, with the death toll reaching 2,79000. The virus has affected living globally while people are adjusting to a new way of life. People are working from home, university professors are taking online classes and online buying and selling of products have started. This shows a new way of life with more reliance on technology and lesser physical interaction. Those who have adapted to this technical way of living might be better off than the ones still dependent on the physical mobility to earn a livelihood. For example, the ones working in restaurants, in transportation, postal services or home-care workers cannot work while sitting at homes on their laptops. Thus, the corona way of living will compel people to reorient their ways of earning. The governments and businesses world over will require new strategies to readjust in corona world.
The industrialists will have to bring in innovative practices to survive the economic catastrophe. While the governments will have to furnish policies to secure the populace from unemployment and to protect the country from plunging into chaos. Coronavirus challenge can well be compared with terrorism, the phenomena that altered the political landscape of the world as extremism emerged as a threat to peace. The outcome triggered security measures with empowered law enforcement apparatus. In the prevalent situation, the disease caused by coronavirus has instigated fear world over. The healthcare systems of developed and developing world are finding it difficult to control the pandemic. There is speculation that if the pace of virus continues it might collapse the health care machinery.
Governments and businesses world over will require new strategies to readjust in corona world
Scientists world over are trying to find a cure to the pandemic, but the question remains whether life will return to normal with virus vaccination? When will businesses start and people be back on their jobs? If the disease is cured through an effective vaccine, the chances are that normalcy of life, social interaction, travel, sports and business may not be the same as before. The reason being the economic fallout of pandemic will carry an effect. Another dimension to the pandemic and the difficulty in its cure is the disparity among the countries healthcare systems and economic conditions. This disparity might obstruct globally coordinated efforts to fight the pandemic. Besides, the political differences and competition among states is also a major factor in gearing up against an international pandemic/challenge. The states may claim to join hands in controlling the disease but ultimately it is their geopolitical interest, which will determine their position in cooperating with a political actor. Thus, the world players efforts to cooperate in curing the pandemic and forming a uniform policy may not augur well owing to their geopolitical differences, economic shortcomings and healthcare weaknesses. As is apparent from the “war of words” between the two powerful countries of the world – the US and China. The US has called coronavirus as “China Virus” while China has combated the pandemic and has also offered help to the world. This shows that China wants to outmatch the US globally by taking a lead in combating efforts against the virus. China has sent medical teams to countries including Pakistan, Italy, Cambodia, the Philippines, Myanmar, Kazakhstan. The medical experts have shared their experience in combating COVID-19. This has signalled a goodwill gesture from China and has enhanced the country’s image. In Pakistan, the Chinese team from China’s National Health Commission visited the affected areas in Sindh and Punjab provinces. Besides, China has provided test kits, N95 masks, medical protective clothes, ventilators, defibrillator monitors, and medicines for treating Covid-19 patients.
The writer is a researcher at the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI).