EDITORIAL: The Straits Times says- Resilience, ingenuity during pandemic

It was a depressing start to the week as news came that the global coronavirus cases had pushed past 20 million on Monday. Worse yet, the disease appears to be accelerating, taking six months to reach 10 million cases after the first infection was reported in early January, but just 43 days to double that number to 20 million. More than 746,000 people have died from Covid-19 so far. High as they are, the real figures may even be higher, for experts believe that official data likely undercounts both infections and deaths as some countries have limited testing capacity. It is easy to be disheartened as the end of the pandemic does not seem to be in sight. Some countries are still going through a first wave while others see resurgences that frustrate efforts to reboot their economies. The first vaccines are not expected till the middle of next year, claims made by some countries notwithstanding.

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Studies have shown that having their lives disrupted by the pandemic has caused anxiety and depression among people, particularly over finances. This is because economic shutdowns to contain the virus have led to job losses and uncertainty over employment. Social distancing and isolation and having to cope with new ways of doing things – mask wearing, online learning and working – have not helped. Worryingly, substance use and suicides have gone up. Yet, around the world, people have shown resilience and ingenuity in coping with the many challenges that the virus has brought. An Australian travel writer who had to cancel six overseas trips because of closed borders decided to explore her own backyard. A result was an article on Perth’s culturally rich Chinatown that was published in a Hong Kong newspaper. In the Philippines, people have taken to online barter trade to get around quarantine protocols, declutter or because they are out of work and short of cash. Some of the barters are gadgets for fruit and kitchen ware for face masks.

In Singapore, some small business owners have diversified to keep afloat, so a provider of backdrops for events has taken on technical installation projects and e-commerce deliveries to make ends meet. Students whose classes have been suspended have found ways to keep learning. At Cornell University, some students continued to write papers and do research. An environment and sustainability major upcycled clothing. And during the circuit breaker, a polytechnic engineering student took time to learn computer programming. These students and those who take up reskilling courses because they have lost jobs or want to upgrade are staying sharp during this pandemic pause. Amid the gloom, there is cause for some optimism because people have shown their ability to rise up to the challenges. It remains for governments and society to help them do so, as well as to prepare for a better future.