” COVID-19 – Courage Over Despair ” – April 4, 2020.

       Even   as the  COVID-19 tragedy continues unabated,  there are hopes and depression ;  positives and negatives ;  chaos and clarity ;  truths and misgivings ;  courage and fear among individuals, communities, regions, and States. The global pandemic is also reshaping quite a few of our thoughts and convictions bringing a new order and approach to our sensing and control of realities in life. We may also witness conventional approaches giving way to newfangled ways of our style of living encompassing almost all the sectors of economy. It will encourage and enthuse the kids and students of the day moulding their imagination to take inspiration from the successes of COVID-19 control efforts and experiences of the times. They may well set in motion a process where actions by the governments, businesses, and sciences will take a new path for the growth and development of our society in future. The sacrifices and care made by many at the call of duty in saving human lives can only be marvelled by everyone as ‘courage over despair’.

           Cited below are 25 reported examples of what happened during the crisis in terms of statements, theories, and practices :

          1.  “Earth shakes less”  –

          Ambient seismic noise reduced –  i.e.  less vibrations generated by cars, buses, trains, and people going about their daily lives. In the absence of noise, earth’s upper crust is moving less.

          2.  ” COVID-19 reduces pollution in India” –

          World’s largest Coronavirus lockdown causes a dramatic impact in terms of reducing air pollution in Delhi, India. Less cars, buses on road, less trains running, less people going about their work are some possible reasons.

          3.  ” COVID-19 promotes Jugaad Innovation ”  – 

          Indian doctors fight Coronavirus using rain coats, helmets as personal protective equipment during treatment. India, nevertheless, exports surgical gloves to Europe; and about 90 tonnes worth of PPEs to Serbia.

          4.  ” COVID-19 promotes Watching Wedding virtually over Video Call ”  –

          COVID-19 forces a family to watch a wedding over video call in India ;  lockdown prevented them to move out.

          5.  ” COVID-19 breeds opportunity for organised crime ”  –

          Governments in Asia are now being challenged to combat transnational organised crime and trafficking. (CNN Opinion story).

          6.  ” Pray more, prey less ”  –

          Prayers asking for guidance and protection at work and home to keep people and family safe are becoming common and regular now.

          7.  ” Booze sales boom in America ”  –

          Millions of Americans who are staying at home because of COVID-19 are drinking a lot of alcohol to pass time for now.

          8.  ” COVID-19 gives relief to people through reduced electricity bills ”  –

          Duke energy in U.S.A.  offers to cut electricity bills in May ;  TECO will spread the savings over the summer. Many others may follow suit.

           9.  ” Irreparable damage to airlines ”  –

           Boeing  CEO  says that it will take years for the airlines and aerospace industry to recover from the Coronavirus crisis.

          10.  ” Cleaning can cost the earth ”  – 

          To clean the Kennedy Space Center after an employee tested positive, it took $ 145000.

          11.  ” Obama wants social distancing to continue “. –

          Obama encourages people to continue Social Distancing despite Trump’s wishes to open the economy. He advocated a cautious approach to the containment efforts.

          12.  ” COVID-19 forecasts for Hurricanes”-

          Atlantic hurricane season which is just two months away may be above average according to the forecasts now.

          13.  ” COVID-19 call for banning consumption in China ”  –

          It is now illegal to eat animals raised as pets (cats and dogs) from May 1. Shenzhen is the first Chinese city to ban consumption.

          14.  ” COVID-19 boost to biosecurity laws ” –

          Australia to punish people convicted of illegally exporting masks, hand sanitizers, or other personal protective equipment with hefty fines.

          15.  ” Support for Vatican City needed ”  –

          Rome imposes stringent Social Distancing rules. But reports from Vatican City suggest that Holy See is doing far less than the rest of Italy to stop the spread of Coronavirus.

          16.  ” Thirst for Oil evaporates ”  –

          Highways empty ;  Planes grounded ;  Factories shuttered ;  Collapse of oil demand sends crude crashing to 18 year lows. Supply seems to be resilient still. A situation where World will find it hard to store oil now is predicted.

          17.  ” Zoom-bombing : FB warns video calls getting hijacked ”  –

          Zoom videoconferencing app finds extensive use for almost everything from brunches and birthday parties to religious events and even a UK cabinet meeting. Spike in popularity causes a spike in scrutiny because of privacy concerns.

          18.  ” UK   media opinion ”  –

          Government Coronavirus briefings are a complete waste of time and pathetic – according to UK media.

          19.  ” UK media opinion ”  –

          Mass testing for COVID-19 is our priority, but we lag behind the world.     

          20.  ” New research ”  –

          Coronavirus can spread not just through coughing and sneezing but also by talking or by just breathing. A new generation of doctors and scientists will emerge in future.

          21.  ” Medical facility infrastructure for COVID-19 containment ”  –

          The biggest ICU in the country, UK, will be open this week. NHS is an incredible public service. The facility in UK was completed in 7 days. Spain did it in 24 hours. China did it in January. Philippines is doing it.

          22.  ” Early action saves lives ”  –  

          A large scale scientific study found that early interventions like Social Distancing and severe restrictions on people’s movements restrained the spread of COVID-19 and saved tens of thousands of lives across Europe.

          23.  ” Journalist tested positive minds his work ”  –

          ” We do not have testing data to make sense of our reality beyond what we know is the face of (Coronavirus) for an overwhelming number who get sick”,  said Chris Cuomo, a great, genuine, truth speaking and transparent CNN journalist. ” That face is mine. I tested positive ” he added. He is still giving information to public while on job.

          24.  ” Adversity is an Opportunity ”  –

          Hungary passed a bill on Monday that gave PM  Viktor Orben the power to rule by decree indefinitely. As COVID-19 brings the world to a halt, some world leaders have spotted an opportunity to tighten their grip on power.

          25.  ” Strange, but true ? ”  – 

          North Korea which borders two of the most heavily affected countries in the region – South Korea and Japan –  has not reported any Coronavirus infections. Are they hiding the facts or they are better equipped to handle the crisis ?

             Conclusion  :   The world will not be the same if and after the Coronavirus gets eliminated. Economy, Science, Medicine, Sports, Agriculture, Finance, Social and Spiritual life, – every sector of human endeavour –  will all see a dramatic transformation in the way we see, approach problems, manage incidents, and guide overall life. The above mentioned monitoring and control aspects are just a pointer to what is in store for our future. Many of the actions cited may hold and stay permanently mainly for two reasons : (a) fear that our life will be in danger again if Change is attempted, and  (b) a process of acclimatization to the habits adopted now firmly entrenched in life. To that effect, COVID-19 can be deemed to be the  “transformation agent”  of this new millennium inducing a new phase of human evolution. World War I,  World War II, Oil Shock, Mobile revolution, Depression of 2008 and now this Coronavirus Disease – changing the way humans live, work, and connect/collaborate to meet ends.

” Dieu avec nous “

Saturday, April 4, 2020 –  6.29 a.m. (IST)

Tidbit : ” Now is the time to quit smoking ; it could increase your odds of beating COVID-19 ”  –  CNN.com