Chester Alexis C. Buama | 2023 | ISBN: 177469400X | English | 222 pages | True PDF | 6 MB
One of the legacies of the Covid-19 pandemic is the widespread use of social distancing mandates. To many, this was initially an outrageous infringement on freedom of choice and association. However, as the deaths started to mount up, even the skeptics realized the dangers of being in proximity to other people at the height of one of the deadliest viruses that primarily spread through the air. It was some of what we had all feared about HIV/AIDS when it first became a global pandemic in the early 1980s. Social distancing became a catchword for virtually all the restrictions on movement and association. Public transport became meaningless from a business sense since the costs of halving passengers made it an unviable concern. Some governments went as far as banning any movement from one's immediate household. Many unintended consequences emanated from social distancing. The great cities like London and New York were deserted for the first time in many centuries. Wildlife started reclaiming what humans had callously and persistently taken from them. Species that had all but disappeared were spotted once more. The school year became nonsense since most children were at home. Some creative universities started or emphasized online learning. Businesses did the same if they could. The government offered to furlough schemes and other benefits to assist those stuck at home with no discernible means of earning a legitimate income. International transport came to a standstill, and the tourism sectors had to rethink their strategy. The virus had become an existential threat to our lives and livelihoods. People complained at first but eventually turned it into the new normal. We even started wearing masks and sanitizing hands as a matter of course. Weddings, funerals, parties, and other social gatherings disappeared into the quietness of our homes or at state-approved locations. This virus knew no prince or pauper, and the Prince Consort of the United Kingdom was buried in very reduced circumstances just a few days before his 100th birthday. The public insisted that there were no special rules for special people in this social distancing. Of course, government corruption and societal inequality worked together to ensure that the wealthy and connected had a much easier time than the poor and dispossessed. The high-net-worth individuals of New York and California soon discovered the joys of country living, annoying the local populations in rural locations with their audacity and cold cash. Great economies were in peril. The disease first terrorized the wealthiest nations, but it soon found soft ground among the poorer members of the global village. All the inequalities and injustices of yore were revealed and exaggerated accordingly.
Then the miracle of a vaccine offered hope. Many were doubtful since it had all been done too quickly. Were the tests sufficient? Pilot schemes were hastily put forward. The adventurous volunteered for trials. First, it was the elderly and vulnerable. Then they started working down. Wealthy nations like Norway offered some of their unwanted, sometimes suspect, over-supplies of vaccines to the Third World. This book explores the implications and future of social distancing as the world slowly returns to something of normality. Please Login or Register to see this code