There is no doubt about the devastation caused by COVID-19. This is well-documented in the form of the tragic loss of lives, individuals isolated and away from loved ones, and the stories of businesses closed forever and employees left without work.
As the world slowly begins to emerge from COVID-19, there are some positives and changes developing from the pandemic. These are not always reported in the news or talked about on Zoom chats with family, colleagues, and friends, but offer areas where we can all focus on in the upcoming months.
Greater Connection to Local Communities
It has been heartwarming to see the outpouring of care and compassion of everyday people and businesses in communities to take care of others. This may be as simple as Facebook groups that share positive messages and pictures from their windows around the world to businesses that have adopted families and providing door-to-door food deliveries.
Looking in on neighbors, taking the time to thank people for doing their job, and recognizing the heroic efforts of people in our towns, cities, and local areas helps us to keep in mind that gratitude and appreciation are always important.
Rebuilding or Building Relationships
Getting in touch or getting back in touch with friends, family, colleagues, and coworkers has helped us all to develop a stronger network of support, love, and caring.
Thanks to online technology such as Facebook, Zoom, Skype, Facetime, and any number of free services, people have reached out and taken advantage of sharing their lives and their good wishes with the people they care about. This includes rebuilding or repairing relationships that may have been neglected in the past.
Nature and the Environment
Less commuting, limited non-essential travel, and a slowdown in life have been a plus for the environment around the world. Smog and pollution levels dropped in most areas, and pollution levels are lower in major waterways around the globe.
While COVID-19 will not save the environment, and it will take ongoing efforts to continue to reduce energy use and pollution, it has given a momentary stop to the increase in environmental destruction.
Changes in Working Situations
Before COVID-19, businesses and companies around the world offered limited options for remote work for employees. Remote work was thought to be ineffective, too difficult to coordinate, and challenging for security across multiple networks and devices.
Though COVID-19, businesses of all types have been forced to use remote options for their employees on stay-at-home requirements. The result is these infrastructure changes are now in place, potentially making it easier for employees to negotiate full or part-time work at home options with their employers.