A post-COVID-19 world will mean different things to different people but one thing you cannot in any way change is the fact that the world is in for a shift in culture. A lot of things we took for granted will finally come to take their true significance.
We shall begin to see things in their correct perspectives. Governments, corporate bodies, and individuals have to understand and live with this fact. The earlier you get yourself geared up for this, the better you are positioned for the adaptation that must surely come to be.
The WHO says that as of 7:07 pm CEST, 24 May 2020, globally, there have been 5,206,614 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 337,736 deaths, reported to the organization. There is, however, a belief that these figures are great underestimates.
This is more so if we have to take into account the fact that the U.S. and some other countries are asking China to give the records and the actual data of what really transpired in Wuhan. China, however, seems not to be forthcoming on the demands of the world.
Having these frightening figures definitely is not enough, you need to realize that these people have made a sacrifice with their sufferings and deaths respectively, and, therefore, resolve to learn from what they have gone through. If you do not have plans for a post-COVID-19 world, you have rendered their sacrifices redundant and of no consequence.
The COVID-19 pandemic may not have hit you the way it hit others but the whole world was affected by the lockdowns, after all, we have become a global village. Wearing of face masks and social distancing among other measures were introduced to stem the spread of the virus.
Now that countries are initiating processes for easing the lockdowns in order to kick start their economies again, it’s pertinent that you must make some changes too. A look at the measures some businesses have mapped out for the post-COVID-19 era will put you in good stead as to what you need do.
The medical industry
This particular industry may be feeling the heat of the pandemic the most. Apart from the fact that some other industries were affected by the lockdown, practitioners in this industry are the front liners in the raging battle.
The U.K. government says there have been 49 verified deaths of NHS staff from Covid-19 during the pandemic, the government, however, believes that the number must be more than the figure released. As the pandemic raged on, it was not easy for most countries to give adequate treatment to the sick, even some hospitals had to ask people not to physically come to their premises unless the issue at hand was very serious.
The reason they gave was that they wanted to have enough room for those infected with COVID-19. This created an avenue for telemedicine.
Before now, what was more popular was online therapy, where technology is deployed to ensure people receive psychotherapy or work with a psychologist. A great deal of work still, however, needs to be done in the region of telepsychology and telehealth especially in evaluating how well it works, when compared to in-person, in-office psychotherapy sessions.
The post-COVID-19 world will not start from scratch as there is a blueprint to work with and the gains recorded from the research work will go a long way in helping the medical industry in handling healthcare at the end of the pandemic and in the future. We should expect to see a situation where you may not need to visit a hospital unless your case deems it absolutely necessary since you can make do with telemedicine and telehealth.
This will remove a lot of stress from both the patients and the healthcare giver. With this scenario, medical practitioners will have more time to devote to their work, patients also need not go through inconveniences involved in meeting up with any appointment.
For the world at large, it’s a win-win situation.
Travel industry
The travel industry elicits everybody’s concern. It was an industry that was grossly affected by the pandemic.
Operators in the industry include airlines, hoteliers, travel guides, tourist centers, and transport companies. People usually travel for vacations, holidays, and businesses, all these were crippled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The International Air Transport Association released an analysis in April 2020, that showed a whopping 25 million jobs being at risk of disappearing with plummeting demand for air travel alone as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. If you add the numbers from the other component parts of the travel industry, it will dawn on you why you must feel for the employees as well as the employers in this industry.
However, some operators in the industry are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that they bounce back after the pandemic. Uber, for instance, has directed that drivers and passengers must start wearing face masks and also limit the number of passengers to three down from four previously.
Sachin Kansal, Uber’s head of safety, said in a video conference with reporters. “We want all the members of that party to be sitting in the backseat.” When explaining about allowing passengers to cram into the backseat, Kansal said, “These are people who are typically from the same household, so they’re already living together.”
The reason given for limiting the number to three was to ensure social distancing with the driver.
Social distancing, wearing face masks, washing hands regularly, and applying sanitizers are all new cultures you need to imbibe. It’s also necessary that you do away with physical gestures such as hugging and handshaking.
There is also the need to introduce remote working where it’s applicable. Apart from ensuring that your employees are safe, they will be more comfortable and relaxed in their natural environments. This will go along way to enhance their output and you save the cost of acquiring and maintaining an office space.
Issues of lateness to work will also be a thing of the past. You can even arrange a schedule for work. The telecoms have ensured that video conferencing, emails, and telephones can be used to effectively organize meetings when necessary and also run your business efficiently.