The article discusses “COVID-19 Pandemic a divine curse or cure? Corona Virus outbreak and its effects on society and environment. Coronavirus pandemic; is the earth filtering itself? COVID-19 Pandemic a divine curse or cure?”
COVID 19 A Wake Up Call For Pakistani Researchers
COVID-19 Pandemic A Divine Curse Or Cure?
Soon after the implementation of lockdown worldwide to combat COVID-19 pandemic, a debate regarding both the positive and negative effects of the virus on society and environment began. People began to ask whether it is a divine curse or cure. This was mainly because the pandemic has mixed effects on both the society and environment. On one hand it has halt all human activities such as social gathering, schooling and economic affairs while on the other hand it has initiated the healing of global eco-system. These mixed effects have made it complicated to clearly say whether it is a curse or cure.
COVID-19 A Divine Curse?
The World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March 2020 declared COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic and asked countries to take effective steps to control its further spread. To cope with the spread of the virus effectively, ban was imposed by the governments on all types of social gathering and thus the virus deprived people of their social freedom.
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Similarly schools, colleges and universities were closed and people were restricted to their homes. By changing people lives all of a sudden, people began calling the virus a curse.
COVID-19 Pandemic also affected the economy of both developing and developed nations. Closure of most of the small entrepreneurs and limitation of working hours worldwide resulted in the decrease of economic output.
Likewise many daily wagers due to weeks’ long lockdown not only lose their jobs but also faced hungers. Due to this reason burden on charity food stalls increased.
COVID 19 And Looming Education Crisis
Similarly due to ban on social gathering worship places of both Muslims and Non Muslims were held closed for sometimes and this was what made people, particularly Muslims worried and they began calling the pandemic a divine curse.
The lockdown pushed world to pre-globalization era by cutting off people from each other due to cancelation of both national and international flights and other transportation services.
COVID-19 A Divine Cure?
Whereas COVID-19 pandemic has many negative impacts on society and lives of people, it also has some positive and very important effects on environment. Some of which are given below.
COVID 19 Exposed Health Disparities in Pakistan
The Corona virus 2019 pandemic has proved in many ways helpful for the environment. The earth during the pandemic has begun filtering itself. According to US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) agency report during pandemic the concentration of Nitrogen Dioxide in USA air has decreased by 25.5 percent. In China it has dropped by 10-30 percent while in some European states such as Bergamo, Spain, Barcelona and Italy the concentration of Nitrogen Dioxide during the pandemic has declined by 47 to 55 percent. According to National Geographic report in India the concentration of Nitrogen Dioxide during COVID-19 pandemic has dropped by 70 percent.
The pandemic has also resulted in the decrease of noise pollution worldwide. Whereas the lockdown decreased movement of cars and other vehicles on the roads globally, it also decreased human activities and confined people to their homes. According to Science Magazine report lockdown resulted in 50 percent decrease in seismic noise. Human activity on the surface of the earth causes vibration that propagated deep into the ground as high frequency seismic waves.
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According to DW (Deutsche Wells) news report worldwide lockdowns healed record-size Ozone hole over the Arctic hemisphere. The hole was about three times bigger than the size of Greenland. The lockdown also helped in the repairing of Ozone layer over the globe.
The pandemic has also bought a major shift in focus of the world leaders from weapons to health sector.
Ten years ago World Health Organization (WHO) had declared Swine Flu a pandemic in Europe and so many European countries had spent billions of dollars on the manufacturing of vaccine, mask and gloves that in the end were not needed. COVID-19 proved somehow beneficial for the manufacturer as it consumed whole of their stocks.
Impacts of COVID-19 on Social Life in Pakistan
Coronavirus pandemic also bought a revolution in health sciences. It leads to the development and use of new diagnostic techniques and detecting patterns of COVID-19 with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
Conclusion
The mixed effects of COVID-19 pandemic on society and environment have made it difficult to clearly say whether it is a curse or cure. Whereas it has devastating effects on society, politics and economy, it also has helped in the healing of environment and eco-system by limiting man’s some hazardous activities.
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jst wowed by it. so much informative.,.