What are the positive effects of Coronavirus lockdown on environment, work culture and our personal lives?
This article is my sincere effort to spread some positivity by looking at a bright side of the coronavirus lockdown.
Go Corona Go!
Everything is so messed up right now! Every day, we are flooded with devastating news about coronavirus pandemic. This is definitely one of the darkest phases of our life. The damage it has caused can’t be undone.
Still, every cloud has a silver lining. And just like that, the lockdown also seems to have a brighter side to it. While we all are aware of the disturbing effects of the coronavirus, it also has many unexpected positive effects.
Positive effects of lockdown on the environment
In a matter of months, the world has been transformed. The lockdown is proving to be a boon for the environment as mother nature is healing at a rapid pace. The environment is benefiting in some interesting and unexpected ways over the last few months.
Air pollution levels are falling drastically.
As industries, transport networks and businesses have closed down, it has brought a sudden drop in air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
- The sky is so clear and smog free that, we are now able to spot more stars than usual.
- Breathing has become easier because of the cleaner, pollution free air.
- There is a significant decrease in Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and Carbon Monoxide (CO) emissions.
- Pollution in New York has reduced by more than 50% after the lockdown.
For the first time in 30 years, Himachal Pradesh’s Dhauladhar mountain range has become visible from 125 miles (approximately 201 km) away in northern parts of India.
Delhi, India is notorious for its poor air quality. But thanks to the lockdown, the smog is reducing rapidly. The India Gate war memorial is looking much clearer after a 21-day nationwide lockdown.
Same thing is happening with Los Angeles, California. These before and after pics are a clear proof of reduction in the air pollution.
Water from heavily polluted lakes and rivers is becoming crystal clear.
Due to the temporary closure of most of the factories, hotels, religious rituals, recreational activities like boating and overall tourism in and around the water bodies, the water quality has improved tremendously.
As coronavirus keeps visitors away, the normally cloudy water in the canals of Venice, Italy has become clear enough to see fish swimming below. Even a jellyfish was spotted gliding peacefully through the clear water.
In India, water quality of heavily polluted holy river Ganga has improved so much during lockdown that now it’s fit to drink. (earlier, it was not fit for even bathing)
The usually murky waters around British coastline are getting clearer.
Ecosystem is thriving again
Since years, we have been hunting and caging the animals and birds for fun and leisure. Now, the nature has given them a chance to roam freely while the most selfish species on Earth is caged in its own home due to lockdown.
- Several species of local and migratory birds are getting spotted
- Due to reduced noise pollution, people are waking up with the sweet (and sometimes chaotic) chirping of the birds.
- In the absence of any human obstacles en route, animals like blue bulls, elephants, squirrels, wild turkeys, deers, boars, horses, monkeys, sheeps etc. are venturing out into paved plazas, city streets, gardens, highways and other urban spaces.
- Some critically endangered species like Spotted Malabar Civet are resurfacing after decades.
- Even dangerous predators like bears, mountain lions, alligators, leopards and wild pumas are trotting in and even taking a nap in places people usually dominate.
- In western Assam’s (India) Barpeta town, residents have been hearing the howls of the rare black fox more frequently than in the past.
Deers are now roaming freely on the streets due to lockdown. Just remember…these animals are not invading our land. They are just reclaiming what was theirs once, before we invaded them.
Sheeps are burning some calories by having fun in the empty garden. It’s just hilarious!
This one is just amazing!
While India is on a lockdown, hundreds of thousands of uninterrupted sea turtles came ashore (in Odisha) for the first time in years to lay 60 million eggs. WOW!
Super cute Pandas have a mating “season” of just a few days per year. Shuttered Zoo, Hong Kong has been trying to get two giant pandas to mate for 10 years. Finally, when the zoo got temporarily closed during lockdown, they successfully mated, lifting the hope that the population of this vulnerable species might be about to increase. It seems all they needed was a little privacy. 😉
Pets are stress busters and a good companion to cope with depression and loneliness. That’s why, many people are turning to fostering and adopting rescue dogs and cats during nation-wide lockdowns—benefitting both the animals and their new owners. As a result, first time in the history… many animal shelters are left EMPTY across the U.S.
Is this a permanent effect?
I know that all these environmental benefits are nothing but a temporary phase due to lockdown. Some are even saying that, once we get over this crisis, it will be as bad as before… or even worse.
What they are saying is true to a great extent. Still, I feel, we should really feel fortunate for getting a chance to witness and experience this beautiful phase of mother nature getting healed.
Won’t you be super happy if it remains in such a state even after the lockdown is released? Off course!
So, let’s just hope that people won’t return to their old filthy habits. I’m keeping my fingers crossed!
Positive effects of work from home (WFH):
Working from home is not easy. I know that there are so many difficulties like…
- Getting well configured computers / laptops to work on
(the one you already have, was brought in the stone age)
- Poor internet connection
(especially when everyone is at home, using the same Wi-Fi connection)
- Restrictions on accessing confidential files
(what if the data gets leaked?)
- Disturbance from other family members
(especially kids)
- Lack of enthusiasm and willpower
(working alone could be really boring! Especially when you still have 4 episodes to watch from the new web series)
And last but not the least,
- Calling multiple colleagues to take approvals or solve even the simplest queries (especially when no one is in the mood to work ☹)
But slowly, we are getting the hang of it. Things are becoming easier. With every passing day, many have started loving it too.
This mom has found a smart way to keep her kids from ruining her conference call while WFH.
Working has become more flexible
Due to WFH, we are now able to…
- Take breaks whenever we want
- Enjoy our favourite music while working (and do some dance moves when the song is really good 😉)
- Wear comfy pyjamas most of the time (except when the colleagues are watching you on the video call ☹ )
Now we can work while cuddling our pets.
Our life has become less hectic:
In most of the over populated countries, travelling isn’t easy. Every year, so many people lose their lives or meet with the tragic accidents in a rush to reach their office on time.
But in the current WFH scenario:
- There are no late marks.
- No firing or memos from the boss for reaching late.
- No / lesser unrealistic deadlines and work pressure
- And, no more exhausting, risky journeys in the heavily crowded public transport.
This WFH culture has given us a chance to take a little break (I know, it’s getting longer and longer than we could have imagined) from our regular over hectic schedule. The break that we always deserved and needed, but never got. So, just enjoy your power saving mode.
Companies are exploring long-term opportunities:
In the current situation of crisis, even the companies have started looking for new opportunities to cope up with the heavy financial losses.
Instead of spending hefty money on renting and maintaining large offices and giving travel allowances to their employees; companies are now exploring many more new possibilities like:
- Full time work-from-home
- Work from co-working spaces
- Working in staggered shifts to avoid busy commute
- Working from smaller distributed offices
These options will definitely enable the companies to recover their losses in a long run, rather than reducing the salaries / terminating the employees with immediate effect.
Our carbon footprint has reduced:
Currently, staying home is not an option, it’s an order. As most of the people are working from home, there is no need for daily commuting. And NO daily commute means,
No more travelling by private / public transport.
This means, we are saving so much fuel, vehicular maintenance and money while also preventing traffic jams and pollution.
There are lesser clothes to wash and no clothes to iron (who wears ironed clothes at home! 😉).
This means, lesser electricity and water consumption, and also the lesser chemical detergents going down the drain (resulting in lesser water pollution)
Apart from this, as we are no more able to use office resources/ facilities…
We have stopped printing e-mails unnecessarily at home. (that colour cartridge is just so damn expensive!).
As a result, we are ending up saving so many trees required to make paper, also reducing the carbon footprint involved in the manufacturing of paper and ink.
This way, we are unknowingly contributing to the betterment of the environment in various aspects.
Positive effects of Coronavirus lockdown on our personal lives:
Family bonding is getting stronger
When was the last time you spent a whole day with your family? When was the last time you held your mother’s hand to tell her that you love her? And, when was the last time you told beautiful bedtime stories to your kids?
Our hectic work culture and demanding lifestyle has caused a tremendous damage to our relationships. But thanks to the lockdown, we are once again able to (or in fact forced to) cherish these precious moments in our life.
- We are finally able to spend some quality time with our family
- As the older generation is more vulnerable to catch Coronavirus, we have started taking additional precautions and extra care to keep our elders healthy and happy.
- Kids (generally overburdened with school projects and various activity courses) are now able to spend some quality time with their parents, creating lot of sweet childhood memories.
- With the rising death toll day by day, we have started realizing the value of family, friends and community in the fear of losing them.
- With a lot of free time in our hands, we are finally able to call all our relatives and old friends with whom we had no contact since years.
Want to see the proof? Here it is…
In most of the countries, people are living in the male dominating society, where doing house chores is the female’s job. With everyone staying home and feeling hungry every few hours, work load on the shoulders of the lady of the house has increased tremendously (especially in the absence of house maid).
So, finally all family members are learning to work as a team by distributing daily house chores like cleaning the house, washing utensils, cooking etc.
Due to coronavirus lockdown, Bob Shellard isn’t allowed to visit his wife in her Connecticut nursing home. So he stood outside her window and held up a sign that said “I’ve loved you 67 years and still do. Happy Anniversary.”
This is just so heartwarming!
This young man comes to talk to his dad every single day since the nursing home is on lockdown. So much better and uplifting than a normal video call, isn’t it?
Mary Lou spent 99 birthdays with her family, but this year she’s in quarantine in the nursing home. So, all the kids sang her happy birthday from outside the front doors. So cute!
We are saving a lot of money on entertainment and leisure.
Due to the lockdown, normally bustling pubs, bars and theatres have been closed. Many online streaming services are providing free subscription to watch unlimited movies, dramas and serials.
As a result, we have not spent a single penny in the last few weeks on…
- Travelling and visiting exotic destinations
- Eating junk food from famous outlets
- Attending mass events, parties and concerts
- Buying impulsively on e-commerce websites and shopping malls
- Watching 3D, 4D, 5D movies and dramas in theatres (and ending up paying more on the popcorns 🙂
- Beauty treatments, spa, make-up kits and even for getting a basic haircut
That’s a lot of saving, isn’t it? I am just wondering, if we can take some lessons from this and control our spending habits even after the lockdown is released, we may even become rich!
Doordarshan (India’s one of the largest broadcasting organisations) has started broadcasting old classic serials like Ramayan, Mahabharat, Chanakya, Shaktimaan, Shriman Shrimati, Dekh Bhai Dekh, Buniyaad, Circus, Byomkesh Bakshi, and Alif Laila etc.
Being an Indian, I have grown up watching all these serials. It’s just amazing to revive all those sweet childhood memories and feel those enchanting days again. So, I am feeling extra lucky for this nostalgic treat. Thank you so much Doordarshan for making this lockdown bearable!
Are you feeling the same way? What about your country? Are you aware of any such commendable services, initiatives or free offers running in your region? Please feel free to write them in the comments section below.
Our creativity is on its peak.
When the world is running down, everyone is making the best of what’s still around. We are using our utmost creativity in making reusable homemade face masks for corona with various materials like cloth, cardboard, plastic bottles and even bras.
There are lots of creative people out there who just needed some free time (and a bit of boredom).
Some super creative people have even started creating paintings with their pet’s paw prints.
Some cat owners are so bored during quarantine that, they are building cardboard tanks for their adorable cats.
British street artist Bansky has painted some unwanted guests in his bathroom during lockdown. At a glance, these rats look so real that if it was my bathroom, I would have given only one reaction – SCREAM!
The couple from Hungary have been recreating memorable scenes and posters from famous movies.
Government, cops and popular brands are also following the same route:
Government services from various countries are also running some really unique campaigns. Ministry of culture and information policy of Ukraine has come up with a campaign called “Art of Quarantine”. In which, the classic art pieces with a new look are creating awareness about staying safely during this COVID-19 pandemic.
Churches are also following the same path of creativity to create awareness about social distancing.
Some well known brands like Audi, McDonald’s, and Volkswagen have twisted their logos to encourage social distancing. Very simple, but brilliant!
Even the cops are getting creative with the punishments for breaking the lockdown and social distancing rules just for fun. Instead of getting beaten up with canes, violators are now getting punishments like…
- Performing yoga on the streets
- Doing sit-ups, push-ups and squats
- Hopping with the bags
- Writing an apology note repeatedly for 500 times
- Posing with pamphlets liken “I am Donkey”, admitting their fault
- Getting embarrassed with cops performing their “Aarti”
We are utilizing our time in more productive activities like…
- Cleaning and decluttering our homes and wardrobes
- Gardening and mowing lawns (Summer is the season)
- Giving time to hobbies like: Reading, dancing, listening to music, yoga and exercising
People are finding some hidden treasures like past mobile phones, old photographs and letters, rolled dollar bills, long lost slipper, childhood toys and comics that you were crazy about, while cleaning their rooms during lockdown.
This man found all his past mobile phones while cleaning the home in quarantine
We are learning to appreciate the things we have.
Generally, we never get satisfied until we have more than what we need. So, we are always looking forward to have everything in abundance.
We have hundreds of TV channels, multiple apps for sending messages and texts, variety of outfits (which are never enough), more food than we can digest and more space than we can possibly need in our homes. Surprisingly, we are still not happy and satisfied.
In fact, we keep on complaining about small small things and find flaws in everything we have or whatever is happening around us. May it be about the food, job, people, government, weather or traffic; our attitude is always the same… Keep complaining.
- Ohh…I just hate this vegetable. I am not eating this.
- My boss is an idiot who doesn’t know anything
- Government is full of corrupt and selfish politicians
- Damn! Why this place is always so crowded?
The list is never ending. Even I used to do the same thing!
Let me tell you an emotional and very touching story, I received on the whatsapp a few days back:
A 73 year old man was admitted to the hospital. He was kept on a ventilator for a single day. While taking a discharge from the hospital, he was told to pay a hefty amount for the ventilator. And suddenly, the old man started crying.
The doctor’s though that the poor fellow is worried because he doesn’t have enough money to pay the bills. Doctors felt bad for the old man and comforted him by saying that they will manage it. But then, that old man’s reply made all the doctors cry.
He said,” I am not crying because of the money I have to pay. I am rich enough to pay the bill. I am crying because I have suddenly realized that I been breathing God’s air for 73 years and I never paid for it. Forget about paying, I never realized it’s value until now. It takes so much of money to pay for the ventilator in a hospital for one day. So, how much I must be owing God for all these years? I didn’t even thank him for that before.”
True, isn’t it? When we breathe the air freely without any pain, no one takes the air seriously. But only when we end up in the hospital, we realize that even breathing oxygen (with a ventilator) costs money.
Now, how this story relates to our lives during quarantine?
Thanks to this lockdown, we suddenly have (a lot of) time for self-exploration.
We are finally faced with the fact that, we all buy too much when we actually need (and use) very little to live a happy life. We take many things for granted and forget to appreciate them wholeheartedly.
The law of the universe says, when you are grateful for things you have in life, you will have more things to be grateful for.
Similarly, as we are changing the the way we look at things, the things we look are changing too. During this lockdown, we have started appreciating and being grateful for lot of things in life. Our perspective has changed.
We are feeling humbled. We are learning to find something good even in every bad situation.
- Oh… I don’t like to eat vegetables; but thank god, i have at least got something to eat
- My boss has reduced my salary during quarantine. But it’s better than losing a job
- Feeling like i am caged in my own house, but getting bored is still better than dying, Right?
Wow! That’s a great start. Has this lockdown changed your life too? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.
We have finally started thinking about others.
Sometimes a bad situation brings out the best in us. The goodness which we always had, but never realized.
With the coronavirus lockdown in full effect in large parts of the world, people are coming forward to help others and spread some positive vibes by…
- Donating money to coronavirus relief funds
- Providing food and other necessary things to the needy (including stray dogs and other animals)
- And, finding creative and fun ways to raise everyone’s spirits in these difficult times.
We are becoming less wasteful too.
- With stocks of food and other supplies now being limited, we are trying our best not to waste anything, especially food.
- As all the repairing shops are also closed, we have started using our things more carefully.
- We have also started making wise purchasing decisions while stocking up on supplies. (except for toilet papers 😉).
World is full of good hearted, caring people!
One family in a suburb of Stockport, United Kingdom, has been infusing the quarantine with positivity by ‘making’ two giant teddy bears do chores in their yard.
They keep on changing the scenes from vacuuming the grass to washing the car, playing musical instruments, a quick game of golf and so on; to cheer up their neighbours.
Former Royal Marine from Weymouth, England, is making everyone smile by wearing fancy costumes while taking his dogs for a walk.
Many youngsters are coming out to help help the elderly get groceries during the coronavirus lockdown.
Someone with a generous and kind heart left these for the needy.
Assistant headteacher Zane Powles who works at at Primary School in England, is walking more than 5 miles (8 km) each day, carrying a weight of 40 pounds (18 kg) to deliver free school lunches to his students.
This young lady learned to sew, so she could make face masks after a hospital made a post asking for them.
Really hats off to you guys! You all are doing a great job!
We are adapting healthy habits
Earlier, many of us never bothered to…
- Use a handkerchief or at least cover their mouth while coughing or sneezing.
- Wash hands before having a meal or after coming from the loo (Yikes!)
But now, we have become more health conscious.
- We are adapting some good hygiene habits like washing our hands often and keeping ourselves clean.
- Even the super lazy-busy people have started climbing steps rather than using elevators. (in the fear of touching buttons.)
I just hope these good habits will stay with us forever, even after the Corona is gone.
We have become more disciplined.
As we have no other option, we have finally learnt to stand patiently in long queues to get our grocery and other essential things.
Forget about people…. Even animals have started adhering to the social distancing rules.
Education system is changing
- Kids are happy as most of the school and college exams are being cancelled.
- Remote learning is gaining more popularity. (It could become a blessing for those who cannot attend the school and colleges even in the normal days)
Some additional benefits of coronavirus lockdown
- Our nosy and irritatingly gossiping neighbours are afraid to open their doors and are spending all day and night with their mouth covered 😊
- The incidents of pick-pocketing, chain snatching, and other thefts have reduced drastically during the lockdown as everyone is at home…even the thieves.
- Masks to protect against corona are also preventing people from their filthy habit of spitting in public places (when they are out to purchase essentials)
- As all the temples, churches and other religious places are closed for the visitors; Gods are finally able to relax and find some peace.
We have learned our lessons:
Everything can’t be planned or predicted in advance. There are still so many things on which we have no control at all.
As the reports suggest, many smaller and developing countries are handling this epidemic in a much better way than so called developed and powerful countries with plenty of advanced medical resources.
This epidemic has given us a chance to learn from our mistakes and to prepare ourselves for any such future crisis by forgetting our differences and working together as a team.
And for those who think staying at home sucks…
Do you think staying at home is a curse?
I am telling you guys, it’s not. In fact, we are the luckiest ones.
Do to know why?
Because, in old days our grandparents were called to war, and now we are winning this war against corona just by staying at home.
So, first time in the history, we are saving the world by lying on a comfy couch in front of the TV and doing nothing. So, don’t screw it up by violating lockdown rules.
Just think about the people from essential services who have not visited their homes and met their families since weeks. Please don’t put their efforts and sacrifice in vain by breaking social distancing rules.
Stay home, stay safe, and keep others safe.
So, are you feeling positive?
I know that coping with the financial losses and especially the grief of losing our dear ones is one of the biggest challenges.
It will definitely take some time, but the life will go on; and eventually everything will be back in order. But, the lessons we have learned should help us build a powerful and more sustainable future.
And for those who are scared and depressed right now, just don’t lose hopes in these hours of darkness and sorrow.
Whenever there is sorrow, happiness will be somewhere nearby. Whenever there is a shadow, light should be nearby.
That’s why the famous poet Shelley has asked in one of his poems – ‘if winter comes, can spring be far behind?’
One day this will be over, and we will be grateful for life in ways we never felt possible before-Matt Haig
So, just stay positive… and most importantly, stay safe.
Have a great day!
Do you have any inspiring positive stories and experiences to share related to Coronavirus lockdown? They will be a great addition to this article.
So, what are you waiting for? Flood this comment box with your thoughts. Let’s spread some positivity guys!
(This article was last updated on 9th May 2020.)
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References:
https://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/river-gangas-water-quality-has-improved-so-much-during-lockdown-that-now-its-fit-to-drink-510758.html
https://www.boredpanda.com/animals-roam-streets-coronavirus-quarantine/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic
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