Author: Puja, IV year of BBA LL.B (Hons.) from UPES Dehradun
“The Secret of crisis management is not good vs. bad; it’s preventing the bad from getting worse.”
-Andy Gilman
The year 2020 becomes unforgettable and will be remembered for a long time in the coming future. The main reason is COVID-19 pandemic. The entire world is fighting with this virus. It completely changed the lifestyle of human beings. Millions of people get affected by the virus and many people become jobless. Almost every sector is badly affected by this pandemic that includes import-export, educational institutions, hospitals, etc. There is still no clarity about the end of this pandemic. But one thing became evident that 2021 will not be the same because of the situation that mankind has to face in the year 2020.
Imports and exports of many countries were adversely affected that resulted in the large disturbance in demand and supply chains. The decline is mainly because of the global slowdown caused by covid-19. For example, India imports raw material from different countries for the manufacturing of goods but due to coronavirus, the factory was closed causing a decrease in production. This is not only the situation of India but of many countries. As this pandemic affected the world very badly and none of the countries was ready or expected to face this type of situation. Now, these factors will contribute to making new rules and to changing the lifestyle of people in upcoming years to avoid sudden urgency. So, in 2021, the various companies and industries will focus on diversifying supply chains and they will also concentrate on self-support.
The countries are also facing scarcity of health care equipment, hospitals and medical professionals. There are not sufficient beds available in the hospitals and even if it is available in a private hospital, the cost of treatment is too high. A large number of people are dying due to lack of proper treatment mainly all those below average citizens who cannot afford private hospital treatment and due to overcrowding of government hospitals. This is a very serious issue that the government would try to resolve next year. More and more hospitals should be made so that it accommodates a large number of patients. so, in the year 2021, countries might work to avoid this gap. As covid-19 makes people to live at home and to avoid any gathering, the necessity for telemedicine facilities started increasing extremely because it is very convenient for those people who live in a remote area. Telemedicine is also cost-effective and avoids any unnecessary ER visits. So, in 2021 the governments and hospitals may try to make telemedicine more available.
The other affected area due to these pandemics is the job sector. Companies started directing their employees to work from their homes. Employees also enjoy this method because it is more comfortable to work in the peaceful environment of the house than in the office. This method may also be applied next year, as more organizations are thinking about it. The virtual meetings will be more common in the upcoming time. People will not have to travel just to attend a single meeting, this will save their time and money.
Now, people are more concerned about healthy foods to improve their immunity and they also avoid eating out. In 2021, there might be more investments in hygiene, herbal products and raw foods. There may be slight downfall in restaurants and food delivery apps.
The covid-19 has resulted in the closing of schools all around the world. According to UNESCO, billions of students are adversely impacted by the shutdown of schools and colleges across the world. This challenge opens the door of the e-learning process. The educational institution instantly shifts to the virtual classroom by the help of various online apps. As many developed countries already use this method but for some, it is completely new and it will take time to get used to. The biggest challenge faced by the teachers and students is to adopt this method. Many of them have to face electricity and network connectivity issues. In e-learning there is a lack of an environment of studying, children get easily distracted by it. Online examinations are also a serious problem. The other challenge with the online studies is that many students could not even afford a smartphone because they belong to highly economically weaker sections and used to study in government schools for free. This problem is mainly with remote villages and financially weaker people. But again e-learning is only a good option that is available in this grave situation. The Indian government recently launched Vidya Daan app to ensure the flow of better learning. In 2021, we can see growth in e-learning methods. The government will also take more steps to secure better online studies and to avoid the current conditions that are faced by teachers and students.
People might start avoiding any needless expense and prefer to save money because this pandemic taught people how much savings are necessary to prevent any tough situations. No one knows what will happen next. Many people have to suffer financially due to lockdown. In upcoming years people will also learn to respect and give importance to their families because many are stuck in different places due to lockdowns across the world and they clearly understand the importance of being with family.
This type of situation may also happen in future because of people’s behaviour towards nature, the rift between countries and might be by bio-war who knows. People started becoming more inhuman day-by-day but Life has never stopped and will not stop despite the whatever situation we have in our hand. This pandemic taught a lot to people like to be patient and kind to everyone because life is too short to hate someone. We can hope that next year people will become more human. And there will also be a growth in technology and online platforms and that results in more cybersecurity threats. 2021 is going to be a big challenge for everyone because the virus will be with people for a long period.