The world is now battling the COVID-19 pandemic by socially distancing one another. We thus now sit at our homes. At a time like this staying fit both mentally and physically is extremely important as loneliness and solitude can lead to anxiety and stress. For this, we need to stay informed and connected with others.
This is where technology comes in - it is playing an important part in the lives of people to help them feel safe amidst the current pandemic. Read on to know more.
Bringing People Together
With the world having socially distanced themselves, technology is what is helping people to stay connected - both personally and on the work front.
Personally, a connection is important because:
- It keeps the mind spirited and calm
- It helps those in self-quarantine to inform others that they are doing fine
- It helps the elderly so that in case of an emergency they can be helped
Due to this Skype and FaceTime have become even more popular now these are helping people to make video calls to one another.
Businesses are also now completely dependent on Skype and Zoom as video calls help to keep the teams motivated and productive. It is also helping them to reach out to customers and serving them better.
Healthcare service providers and doctors are also providing telemedicine services with the help of technology. This is especially helping those who seek immediate medical attention as they can now be reached easily.
Home is the New Office
While some industries, like aviation and the hotel industry, have come to a near standstill, there are others, like software and IT, where the business is still running. This has been possible due to the wide scale implementation of work from home. Various online meeting software is being used to help businesses in this regard. In fact, the education sector has also begun to roll out new learning platforms with the help of which lectures are now being live-streamed. This is helping students to continue with their classes and the learning process.
Employee Productivity is Being Maintained
Had it not been for technology, keeping employees productive at a time like this would have been impossible. With people now working from home, new methods of working are needed. Industries like SaaS have an advantage because, with the right tools, they can manage their task force who are now working from home, without any dip in the level of productivity. For example:
- Tools like Salesforce can be used by the sales and the marketing teams to manage their leads, funnels, activity logs, revenue goals, and so on
- Lads and contacts can be managed productively with the help of apps like ScanBizCards
- Jira and Slack is helping software development teams to manage work, software release, etc
- With the help of apps like LinkedIn you can both stay informed and also connected with other businesses and professionals
Essential Items Available Easily
People have been asked to stay at home. This is possible only if they have access to essential items like food and medicines. Tech is playing a significant part in helping reach these items to people now. For instance, as people can no longer get their groceries from shops, e-commerce giants like Amazon Fresh and Farmbox Direct have begun home delivery services. Payment is also no longer a hassle as e-wallets have helped to ease this up. Psychological counseling services are also now available online. Most of these are free and helping to counsel those who are dealing with anxiety and stress during this period of lockdown.
Helping to Stay Fit
Staying at home for weeks with minimal activity is bound to make us feel lethargic and unhealthy. However, going to gyms and parks is no longer possible. So, in the meantime tech is what people are resorting to help them stay fit and healthy. For example, there are live-streaming exercise sessions from various fitness studios and also numerous workout links available on Youtube as well.
Infected People are Getting Tracked
In countries like South Korea, China, and Taiwan the governments have been tracking people with the help of location information that they get from their phones. This has played a very important role as it has helped them to identify the infected people and provide them with immediate treatment. Also, countries like Germany and Italy are using location tracking to find out areas where people are gathering in groups - something that is no longer permissible. In the UK an app was launched recently that helped people to report their symptoms. Due to this app, high-risk areas began to get identified.
Timely News is Available
When the virus was spreading, so did a lot of false information. As WHO termed it, an ‘infodemic’ was beginning. It was tech that saved the day.
Experts, universities, and organizations came forward and began sharing the correct information and also encouraged people to take precautions so that they could stay safe.
Artificial Intelligence helped people by providing information on public health. For example, BlueDot, the Canadian organization, uses AI to scan 100,000 online articles in 65 different languages daily to find information on public health. In fact, it was this that alerted people about the pandemic even before WHO had.
Hospitals are Using Robots
Nations like China and Singapore have begun to protect healthcare workers from the virus by not over-exposing them to it. Hence, now robots are being used to serve those in quarantine and receiving treatment. For example, robots are taking the temperature of patients, giving them food and medicine, and even cleaning the areas. In some parts of China, drones have also been fitted with cameras and loudspeakers and are being used to tell people to stay at home and not on the roads.
Essentials Being Delivered by Drones
Drones have been assembled in some countries to supply essentials like food and medicine to people living in areas that are difficult to reach. E-commerce sites like Amazon, Domino’s Pizza, and Walmart, have also begun to test if they can use drones to bring down their delivery costs. In the USA, however, this is not being done yet due to various safety concerns. However, given that drones help in quick deliveries and also bring down the risk of the virus from spreading, changes may soon be seen in the US as well.
Tech Helps to Entertain
Staying at home for weeks can get tiresome and extremely boring. As going out is not an option anymore, people are resorting to tech to entertain themselves. Some of the ways this is being done are:
- Programs are being streamed live
- Video calling and online chatting with friends and family
- Group discussions on a subject like, say, books or new recipes
- Playing video games
- Learning a new hobby
- Downloading books, food recipes, DIY craft ideas
- Curating lists of songs and movies
No business can run without technology - this is known to all. The current situation has also made us realize that tech is essential during the current pandemic as well. Yes, normalcy will return one day but till then let us embrace tech into our lives and stay protected and safe.
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