As the novel Covid-19 is spreading all over the world, the air of fear and anxiety is at the fullest.
BHAKKAR: As the novel Covid-19 is spreading all over the world, the air of fear and anxiety is at the fullest. The awareness created by the electronic, print and social media in the present scenario is working well to portray the sensitivity of the matter to the public. It is a fact that the said micro-organism has shown how exposed the world is. It has brought us to our knees. But there comes a point when we need to focus on things that we can to help.
As dark clouds have silver linings in them, this pandemic can prove to be a mercy if we try to make a way out of the colossal ordeal. The virus has completely changed our political, economic, business and social dynamics. These changed dynamics are rays of light in the dark shadows. Our political elite whether at federal or provincial level, are impressively planning to cope with the situation and effectively channel the relevant institutions. The timely actions of our politicians for the sake of public safety has opened the eyes of the layman who was unaware of the severity of the situation.
The second most important change we are undergoing is the change in working dynamics. The said virus has blocked all types of activities and now we are placed on an official lockdown. In most of the civilian and private institutions, the workforce has been diverted from participating physically to working from home using online e-system. The government can work to explore a new job market by regulating and institutionalising the e-job platforms and providing technical training to our youth especially females in order to produce well-organised workforce for the surging demand. This workforce then would be able to work for national and multinational companies. It would not only decrease unemployment but reduce gender inequality. This can be seen in the context of education where private institutions are conducting online classes. Many communities have already started to form online.
This is the time to learn to see how we can fight the virus while at home instead of panicking and spreading false information.
Muhammad Naveed Ghorcha
Published in The Express Tribune, March 25th, 2020.
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