Make no mistake, the coronavirus is fiendish and we would much rather do without it. But John Milton once said “every cloud has a silver lining” - and coronavirus is no exception.

In fact, you might be surprised by how many positives have resulted from the compromising situation we find ourselves in today.

1. The Environment 

You may have heard people describing the pandemic as nature rebooting itself. The drastic response to coronavirus began in China, where hundreds of factories were shut and streets cleared, as residents were ordered to stay at home. The residents of the Chinese province of Hubei soon saw the first of lockdown’s unintended benefits - blue skies. In fact, the lockdown resulted in quite a few surprising positives.

  • According to China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the average number of “good quality air days” increased by 21.5% in February compared to the same period last year. An improvement in air quality was also observed by NASA in Hubei.
  • From February 3 to March 1, carbon dioxide emissions were also down at least 25% due to the measures taken in response to coronavirus.
  • We know that air travel has (ironically) plummeted as a result of the outbreak. Despite projections of growth, 67 million less passengers flew in the first three months of 2020 as compared to 2019 for obvious reasons. Of course, this has its own implied environmental impacts, especially when major flight companies such as EasyJet have taken the decision to ground their entire fleet.

2. Social Response

The outbreak has led to an emotional response amongst people and businesses. It is a rare occasion where people are putting others first, displaying a warming element of human nature: the ability to support each other in times of need. It isn’t often that we see large businesses sacrificing profits to help people, for instance where business in unrelated industries are stepping up to produce ventilators. In a time that is likened by many to wartime, we are seeing “key workers” on the front line making sacrifices for the benefit of others. 

If there is one thing that we can take away from this situation, it is that humans, however distant from each other in normal times, are able to stick together through adversity. We have demonstrated how bad times bring out the best in people.

3. Reduced crime

In Durham, the police force recorded 20% less crime from 23rd - 29th March compared to the previous week. This drop is mirrored more or less across the country, no doubt due to the government’s “lockdown” procedures. This is a positive which has resulted from the actions taken in order to respond to the coronavirus crisis.

We have also seen a reduction in hate crimes, such as racism, undoubtedly due to the social unification mentioned above. People are overlooking divides, and making is unifying as one force to fight against coronavirus; as they say - “the enemy of my enemy is my friend”.

4. Personal development and relaxation

Finally, for those of us who find ourselves locked up at home as a result of the procedures in place: perhaps it is not ideal that we cannot and should not leave our home, but it can be seen as an opportunity. A rare opportunity to spend some time with family. An opportunity to develop good habits. An opportunity to pick up new hobbies. Our situation can be seen in a positive light or in a negative light, and it is best to see things optimistically and make the most of the time we now have.

The Takeaway

Of course, coronavirus has by no means been for the greater good, and we cannot overlook the extent of suffering it has caused globally. It goes without saying that we find ourselves in an unprecedented situation which has had an astonishingly negative impact, both socially and economically, and I make no attempt to undermine that. But in times like these it is important that we keep an optimistic and balanced mindset and look for the positives, however few and far between, as well as the negatives.

by Kinshuk Jain