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Dr. Asangba Tzüdir
Like humanity has been living with so many forms of virus and diseases, another addition is the Coronavirus, and it has come to live with us; and as pertinent as it is to take the world forward wherein the positive cases worldwide is on the rise, the only way out to get back to a new form of normalcy is by learning to live not together but along with Coronavirus.
Worldwide, social distancing, face masks and sanitizing has been the mandate as a first step measure to contain the spread of Coronavirus. However, this mandate seems to look easy only on paper wherein the practical reality presents a different challenge especially in the face of rushing for purchases of essential commodities and others, not to mention the mad rush at the liquor shops as witnessed in parts of India. With life at stake this Rule No 1 which includes face masks, hand sanitizing, social distancing has and will be our new normal.
In the new normal, the increasing price is being felt and is bound to happen both genuinely as well as making extra bonuses out of the no other means situation. COVID-19 outbreak is not only a human tragedy but also has a serious impact on the global economy, not to mention the depreciation. The economic damage is mounting in a scenario of highly uncertain COVID-19. The ‘open’ and ‘closed’ categorisation of various types of business has created a business imbalance situation, because, in a way or the other, some kind of business has to continue according to the demands of the situation. The survival measure which also includes desperate measures has gone beyond keeping up the supply, but majorly of survival. We now have branded fashionable face masks in the market.
For educational institutions, teachers and students, compounded by the uncertainty, the new normal will be felt especially in the pursuit of making up for time lost. As reported in the Indian Express, UNESCO has estimated that over 1.57 Billion students have been affected by schools closure in more than 190 countries. Online learning is being encouraged but the challenges are many. An instance is the delivery aspect of teaching and learning while recreating a classroom like environment through online which is not simply about skills but also demands psychological adaptability. The teaching-learning environment requires IT facilities besides other infrastructure both at the means and also the end source to facilitate qualitative learning. The IT and communication sector in India will require a major revamp to enable various modes of virtual/online learning.
About work culture, double work will become the mantra of the new COVID-19 normal whilst being pushed in between life and dead. This will be the catalytic force towards reviving and rebuilding the economy which is very crucial. The ongoing lockdown period has made life idle, and thus the new COVID-19 normal call for working double time even as eases and relaxations slowly open up. Not that Corona is disappearing, though.
There’s more to the new normal, but finally, the new COVID-19 normal calls for building up a self reliant economy, a big lesson especially for Nagaland whose economic condition is normalised within a dependency syndrome. The new Covid-19 self reliant normal calls for production in every sense of the term.
Whether we like it or not, it is time to welcome ourselves to the new normal life along with Covid-19.
