Page 12 - The Edge Issue 8

Lasting Effects
Story by Milan Sween How will this pandemic affect us long-term?
We can all recognize the short-term consequences of the novel coronavirus- travel and movement has been locked down, social distancing is the status quo, and the toilet paper aisles at stores have been stripped barren. But have westoppedtothinkabouthowthisvirusisgoingtoaffectus in the future?
In the months and years to come, coronavirus is going to have a definite lasting impact on the economy. We don’t know yet when companies are going to resume business, or when unemployed persons will be able to get jobs again.
Another aspect of the coronavirus that is affecting our economy and large businesses is the lost revenue that is not going back into the
economy. For example,
airline companies’ airplanes are not being used, but rather kept in lots. Since they are not being used, these companies now have to pay a lot of money for these planes to be kept there. Also, the hotel industry is sinking. Nobody’s staying at hotels, and the establishments are not making enough money to pay bills.
Farmers and businesses
in the food production/
selling industry are falling
to the low. With less
demand for food, farmers are not having to grow crops and sell them. Therefore, they have to get rid of all the excess food, which means millions of pounds of food are going to waste. Even restaurants have to throw out all the food that they have in stock when it goes bad. That is even more food that is going to waste, which spells out harm to the economy.
COVID-19 is going to affect the United State’s economy for many years to come. It is going to take a long time to recover from this national crisis. Nobody is out buying or selling goods and services, and once the economy gets back up and running, the impact of the national pandemic is going to leave a lasting mark on the economy.
It’s not all bad news, though.
As the virus has wreaked disaster throughout the country and the world, certain systems have been forced to adapt to the ever-changing social landscape. Working and learning from home has encouraged schools, businesses, and people to gain new interpersonal and technological skills.
In Singapore and China, places where the worst of the virus has already passed, society isn’t simply returning to the status quo. Patterns of travel and work have been subjected to great stress and change as the disease has taken its course, and that stress has caused businesses to revaluate the efficacy of certain forms of work.
Some companies, for instance, have instated A and B systems, in which A employees work on certain days and B employees on others- a method which can greatly improve efficiency and productivity. Other businesses have implemented systems of remote work even after the virus threat has passed, recognizing the value of digital labor.
It’s difficult to say how the virus will affect US business and work patterns long-term. One thing is for certain,
however: as teachers and students have been forced to adjust to online learning, they have developed new skills and knowledge. When students crowd school hallways again, they will be in an environment that has acknowledged the importance of digital methods of learning, which may represent a permanent change in how teachers educate students.
No one can know how our social, political, and economic systems will change in response to the global pandemic. Working to understand and to predict the virus’s potential impacts, however, can help us to prepare for the uncertain future.
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