The New Normal & 3 Strategic Priorities For COVID-19 Recovery

The
New Normal
&
3 Strategic
Priorities
For COVID-19
Recovery
BY SULTAN S CHAUDHRY
THEMOTIVATIONALMENTOR.COM

If anyone for any reason is thinking or
assuming that life will restore to pre-
coronavirus, then they are living in a
fool’s paradise.

We all need to understand that the
risk is real and the virus is still here.

THE RECENT OUTBREAK IN
ITAEWON,
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
Even countries that have
flattened the curve
successfully, such as here in
South Korean and was on the
verge of totally overcoming
the COVID-19 outbreak, and
then the Itaewon outbreak
happened.

The recent outbreak in Seoul’s Itaewon nightlife
district that emanated from a 29-year-old man
who visited multiple club and bars in the area,
was tested positive for COVID-19 on May 6, 2020.
Which saw a cluster of 20 or more so new cases
every day for several days in May 2020, shows
how real the risk is and how fast it can spread.
The total number of cases linked to it has risen to
250 recently.
THE RECENT OUTBREAK IN ITAEWON,
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA

We can only defeat the virus and
overcome many of the issues faced by
the virus only if the following work in
harmony and are in sync:

3
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
FOR COVID-19 RECOVERY
The Central /
Local
Governments
1
The
Business
Community
2
Individuals
&
Society In General
3

Now let’s discuss each of
the above in detail.

1-
THE CENTRAL / LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
First and foremost, the local and
central governments should be on the
same page, with clear policies,
guidelines and SOP’s for both
individual and businesses, but most
importantly how these are to be
implemented and enforced.

1-
A)
If those guidelines & SOP’s are not
followed what punitive measure will
governments take?
THE OTHER QUESTION THAT NEEDS ANSWERING IS:

1-
THE OTHER QUESTION THAT NEEDS ANSWERING IS:
B)
If there is spike in virus related cases
particular to:
i)       A business activity
ii)      A community
iii)     A state
What measures will the government take
and is it prepared for it?

I will share an example as to what must be
done and how prepared a government can
be, from the recent outbreak in Seoul’s
Itaewon district.

Seoul’s mayor Park Won-son, for 4 days
witnessing the rise of cases linked to
Itaewon, ordered the suspension of
businesses at clubs and bars in the city.
1-
SWIFT & TIMELY ACTION BY LOCAL GOVERNMENT,
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA IN RESPONSE TO RECENT OUTBREAK

1-
He further said, "Such facilities have to
suspend business immediately and will
face strict punishment if they breach (the
order), adding the order will remain in
effect under further notice.”

The local health authorities renewed calls
for people who visited the effected clubs
in Itaewon between late April and early
May to come forward for voluntary
testing, to trace those possibly infected
with COVID-19 and others who could be
asymptomatic carriers.
1-

1-
Furthermore, the Seoul Metropolitan
Government sent text messages to almost
11,000 residents after obtaining data from
mobile phone companies, which showed
the ones who had their mobile phones on,
the nights the COVID-19 positive person
visited those establishments.

1-
The local health authorities carried out
more than 61,000 tests on people that,
might have been affected by this
outbreak.

What we learn from this incident is that
the government had a system & plan in
place how to handle the outbreak by not
only ramping up its testing and tracing
capacity but also offering anonymous
and free of cost testing.
1-

1-
Couple of days ago the government has
made it mandatory to wear a mask on all
public transport including taxis, which is
the right step to prevent the spread.

2-
THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY
Brick-and-Mortar businesses as well
as global trade was considerably
slowing back in 2019 preceding
COVID-19 infection which struck
everyone hard and fast, overloaded by
trade tensions between the United
States - China, that engulfed other
major exporting countries into the
ongoing feud and the rest was due to
slowdown in economic growth.

The recovery of world economies
and how quick we come out of
recession depends on:

i)
How soon the virus is contained.
ii)
When the vaccine is developed and
available for the general public.
iii)
When and how the lockdown is lifted
safely.
2-
BUSINESS RECOVERY STRATEGY

2-
iv)
Consumer demand increases and so
does the export and consumption.
v)
Last but not least how fast the
businesses adapt to changing needs
and accept to co-exist with COVID-19
and interact with its customer and
clients.

2-
Sooner the businesses accept the
ground reality, work with clients,
customers, suppliers and
governments to workout SOP’s and
some framework, that might not be
ideal, but safe as well as feasible,
such businesses are going to survive
and provide.

2-
Companies and organisations need to
calibrate and adjust their internal
working and external dealings,
before they can implement the new
strategies and become successful.

3-
INDIVIDUALS & SOCIETY IN GENERAL
IMPACT OF CORONAVIRUS ON OUR LIVES
The coronavirus pandemic has changed
our lives for the foreseeable future and
there are many new norms that we have
seen over the last couple of months in
every aspect of life.

3-
Covid-19 has infected over 5 million
people, killed hundreds of thousands of
people and millions have lost their jobs
and livelihoods around the world.

3-
Not to mention that the virus has confined
us to our homes for many months and that
has its own side effects and emotional
toll.

Having said that, we need to be grateful to
have a life in the first place, when there
has been so much death all around.

3-
We as individual humans, in our personal
and professional capacity, have to take
bold steps by sharing & shouldering the
responsibility for doing the best we can to
help and support others by any means
necessary while not endangering others
to the virus.
OUR SOCIAL & MORAL RESPONSIBILITY

i)
We as individuals act and behave
responsibly
ii)
Abide by law of the land
iii)
Adhere to social distancing and other
local health guidelines
iv)
Follow all hygiene and sanitary rules
3-
EVERYONE NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND THE FACT THAT UNTIL
AND UNLESS:

EVERYONE NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND THE FACT THAT UNTIL
AND UNLESS:
v)
Wear mask in public places and public
transportation
vi)
Understand the importance of your role in
stopping the spread of COVID-19
vii)
Stay strong, determined, committed and
in high spirits, only then together, we can
defeat COVID-19 and come out stronger
on the other side.
3-
INDIVIDUALS & SOCIETY IN GENERAL.

3-
ONLY TOGETHER WE CAN OVERCOME THIS CRISIS
If we as individuals don’t act responsibly
and rush things, then there is the likely
possibility, that we might witness more
widespread and longer COVID-19
outbreaks throughout the year, which has
the ability to cause more chaos and
disruption in our lives, which no body
would like to see.

THE 'NEW NORMAL'
Post-COVID life is nothing that we
have witnessed before and the
‘new normal’ has affected our
every way of life profoundly.

Many of us are working from
home or remotely, to name a
few big companies such as
Twitter, Facebook, Google have
asked their employees to work
from home till later in the year.
But Twitter has told its staff to
work from home forever, the
ones that are able to do so.
THE
'NEW
NORMAL'

Brick-and-Mortar businesses
has seen decline in sales and
there has been a steady gradual
transformation to online
channels.

Even as the lockdown
restrictions are easing and
people tend to shop in person,
the online switch is likely to be
long lasting.
THE
'NEW
NORMAL'

Local and International travel
for both leisure and business
are likely to decline
considerably even if the
lockdown restrictions are
totally lifted.
THE
'NEW
NORMAL'

The sooner we accept the ‘new normal’ and
adapt to the new environment for the
greater good of humanity, the easier it
becomes to have some form of normalcy.
But know that life is not going to be the
same and easy in any way.
CONCLUSION

The New Normal & 3 Strategic Priorities For COVID-19 Recovery

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