The impacts of coronavirus
The outbreak of the coronavirus has profound effects on our families, education life, economic, and social life. The pandemic has disrupted the environment in which children grow friendships, and our daily outlines. The reflection paper highlights how covid-19 pandemic has affected my family and friends.
The pandemic led to a drastic drop in the number of hours worked and job losses. For instance, in my family, the number of working hours for my parents fell precipitously from mid-March 2020, when the non-essential businesses were ordered to close, and the majority of workers asked to work from home. The reduction in working hours was accompanied by a reduction in wages, which hit hard our family’s social life. Besides, some of my friends who work in the non-essential sector lost their jobs, while those that retained their jobs have their salaries reduced by half. Those that lost their job have been affected mentally due to stress since the start of the coronavirus crises.
The pandemic led to the closure of educational institutions to contain the spread of the virus. The closure of schools affected my studies because studying at home has been hard without group consultations and all necessary studying materials. Besides, the majority of my friends who were to finish their coursework in April were affected because their education schedules were interrupted. Internal assessments have been canceled, which means we shall have to wait until schools reopen to take the assessments. We have been meeting our lecturers and tutors in Zoom or Face Time to ask for clarifications on some subjects, which has made it easier for us to keep on learning. However, leaning over the Zoon is not as efficient as in-person learning. Zoom requires a high-speed internet connection, which has become hard to afford in hard economic times that we are experiencing.
This global event has changed me in terms of social life. Before the pandemic, I would go out on weekends, meet friends, go to parties, and have fun with friends and parents. However, after social places were closed, I have been remaining indoors with my siblings and parents. However, it has been a good time to reflect on my school life, and focus on my studies through online classes.
Even with the negative impacts on the economic and education sector, I have noted that covid-10 has some positive effects. For instance, families have had genuine moments with their loved ones at home throughout. We have time with our parents, and siblings, share ideas and connect every day. Secondly, the level of hygiene in homes, towns, and workplaces has improved. We can now wash our hands all the time, sanitize our surfaces, and cover our mouth while in public. This level of hygiene will reduce the level of contagious diseases. Finally, companies and businesses have developed tools and software to keep people connected as they won at home and study.