Coronavirus changes our established habits
Two decades ago, at a company I ran, we were the first in Slovenia to develop the use of video conferencing with a US / Israeli company. Negotiations for Slovenian EU entry have been made several times from Ljubljana to Brussels with this new technology. Today, digitalisation and distance communication, distance learning and teleworking, talking to family, friends … have become a vital necessity, one of which is strongly dictated by the Coronavirus pandemic.
The world is not as predictable as we would like it to be, neither the terrorist attacks nor the individual hot spots stopped us. The number of passengers and travelers increased exponentially from year to year. Political meetings, meetings of corporations, large and small companies,vacations at the other end of the world … Have we lived in times of endless possibilities? Did we forget that we can be very vulnerable? Coronavirus, seen for some far away when it broke out in Wuhan, China, showed how vulnerable we are. First of all, in the fields of health, economy, culture, education …. The virus, for which scientists have not yet found the right vaccine, is spreading at an unprecedented rate, threatening the lives of generally vulnerable groups of people.
Activities are being undertaken in the institutions of the European Union to prevent the spread of the virus and to help countries in the health sector as well as in other sectors. However, it is the responsibility of the Member States to prepare and implement the timeliness of the measures themselves. As we are so close to the current largest outbreak in Slovenia, namely Italy, timeliness and sufficiency are vital. Health care capacities are also limited in all EU countries, and if there is a sudden increase in the need for medical or even intensive care for Coronavirus, system crashes may occur or people die because capacities of doctors, nurses and equipment are low. This case happened in Italy.
Cancellations of flights and new empty airports, closed universities, schools, kindergartens, cancellation of all sporting and cultural events, life without handling, disinfection of the hands are some measures to help prevent the transmission of the virus to the uninfected. The concern of families whose individual members live far away from home is certainly heightened during this time. We humans can be rational, but in any case emotional beings. That is why we are deeply touched by these situations.
In the meantime, it’s important not to react in a panic manner, but with thought and care at every turn. In the face of this distress that we feel as individuals, as families and as a society, we can also devote time to thinking about what matters in life and what is less important.
Without self-discipline at the time of the pandemic, without changing our habits, it will not go. In history, humanity has experienced and survived diseases, famines and wars. That is why, with cooperation and mutual assistance, we can overcome this pandemic even today. Changing our habits, however, I believe will be necessary in our future. This experience may make it easier for us to accept unpredictable situations, such as infectious diseases. Coronavirus is changing and will change our way of life.
