Tuesday 14 April 2020

Can there be beneficial Corona effects?

Could some benefits nevertheless result from the deadly virus? For instance, could many employers and employees realise there can be certain advantages in working from home when and where possible? At least part of the time. Can it be that many people are more efficient when spared the hassle of getting to and from work and the distractions of the office?

This would mean fewer vehicles on the roads. There is certainly far less traffic right now. This must mean fewer accidents, fewer people killed or injured, less pressure from this source on the hard-pressed health services, cleaner air for this reason and because so few planes are flying – with further health benefits, greatly reduced dependence on imported fossil fuel, benefiting both the economy and the climate. Could the deadly virus be saving some lives as well as taking so many?

Then what effect can being confined to the home be having? Could it lead to a lasting growth in distance learning, food deliveries, the birth rate, perhaps even the divorce rate? Some industries could continue to benefit greatly, while others decline. The possible ramifications are many and varied and worth thinking about in these gloomy days.

Thoughts from someone stranded far from home