So what are the positives surrounding the Covid19 coronavirus?

ILoveYourVibes

Ferm001 wrote: »

Think a lot of companies will realise the savings to be made from staff remote working, less people flying all over the world for meetings.

Obesity will sky rocket!

Wibbs

Deleted User wrote: »

While I agree with most of what you said, you'll find large parts of China which are easily as poor as many places in Africa which practice the wet markets. People tend to look at the Tier 1 or 2 cities in China, and think of all the advancements and wealth available... but the countryside is still very different, and wouldn't be too different from when Mao was a kid. Even in the cities, once you step away into the suburbs, you'll find people living well below the poverty line, which is why restaurants for dog are still around (apart from those who eat it for traditional reasons)

The virus is a good thing because the exotic meat trade is under serious examination by all levels of Chinese society. SARS didn't really scare the Chinese much, and behaviors regarding hygiene didn't change. I'm expecting to see far more emphasis (both official and unofficial) on personal hygiene, and habits which are outright unhealthy. Which is fantastic, since it's one of my major gripes with living there.

I would hope things do change K, but if they don't the rest of the world needs to ramp up production across the board so we don't have to rely on China. We rely on them too damned much as it is. It's a ridiculous state of affairs when many of the drugs and medical equipment including those needed to fight things like this are mostly produced there.

I know the thread said positive things, but depending on your pov this could be either. As a result of the virus and the attitude of foreigners (non-Chinese) I'm getting reports of massive anti-foreigner sentiment. It used to be there well in the background, but it seems to have grown in a major way. The PRC attempt to bring in easier access for foreigners to get residency visas was shot down by the public, which generally doesn't happen. So, we could be seeing China turn isolationist, which will likely please a lot of posters here on boards. I wouldn't, personally, see it as a positive, since progressive movements in China needed foreign help to spread among the public there through the impact of western culture and ideals. An Isolationist China wouldn't be good for Asia, since it just encourages an echo chamber for their needs, rather than being aware of the consequences for what they do... A serious weakness to Chinese culture.

Oh sure I get that K, but... We've all heard the morons on twitter/youtube/facebook et al rev up the ballsology that this virus was man made in a lab in Wuhan. The joke is it didn't need to be. Their food culture on its own is a "lab" for weapons grade pathogens. The annual flu season? Chinese food markets/production in origin. Hell the Black Death kicked off there. Bird flu? From civet cats that were penned in with ducks and chickens in one of their medieval markets. No university or research centre on the planet would allow a department to run that experimentally. It's like waving lit cigars around gunpowder. Their particular cultural practices around food are a consistent threat to humanity on an ongoing basis and have been for centuries. It's a "war" of sorts and we need to take a war footing with this nonsense. Not just China either, we see similar markets in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia etc. This backward primitive nonsense has to be clamped down upon and if they won't do it, hit them hard in the pockets until they bloody well do. As for China going isolationist? It's par for the course and the course of Chinese civilisation/empire from waaaay back has been brief and bloody impressive flowering of culture, technology, art and civilisation, followed by very long periods of isolationism and stasis.

As for here, I'm hoping that the experience of the virus will encourage more investment in disease research. It remains one of the most dangerous ways for a species wide wipe, and needs real investment now, rather than waiting until a disease appears.

+1000.

touts

Positives:

Well a recession was coming. Can't beat the economic cycle. If it had come through normal circumstances then it would have been harder on the likes of Ireland because the Germans and EU would say sort yourselves out but follow the rules. As a result of this crisis they will be far more open to solutions that will ultimately dampen the worst effects of a recession on the smaller European nations.

Working from home will be a positive. The mass experiment of remote working will show it is a viable option. Hopefully that will prompt government infrastructure policies from building roads into Dublin to building fiber into rural Ireland

Supply chains will have to become far more diverse and local. Sure China is cheap but we haven't even seen the gap in supplies from them as 2-3 months of gadgets etc were in transit. Now companies will be far more aware of second and third supply options. That could see companies turn to Africa for a backup to Asia.

Assuming we come through this then it will show that the world can all overcome great adversity. Coronavirus is just a blip on comparison to the threat climate change represents. Hopefully we will be far more aware of out fragile situation and work together to solve the real problems

lawrencesummers

Clarence Boddiker wrote: »

People reevaluate their position on open borders and the death knell for globalism hopefully.

You know this came from China, one of the unopenest borders around the place?

It’s an illness that passes between people, regardless of race, creed or country. If you think open boarders and globalism are the biggest problem in the world then you need to re-evaluate a few things.

ILoveYourVibes

Girls will stop getting false nails to avoid the trapping of the virus. ( Those things are like bacteria traps!)

65535

Hopefully more vegetarianism

Clarence Boddiker

lawrencesummers wrote: »

You know this came from China, one of the unopenest borders around the place?

It’s an illness that passes between people, regardless of race, creed or country. If you think open boarders and globalism are the biggest problem in the world then you need to re-evaluate a few things.

It passes between people because people pass between countries so easily. China is relatively closed to people coming in but not when it comes to Chinese people going out.. Which is what spread this in the first place.

Clarence Boddiker

Clarence Boddiker wrote: »

It passes between people because people pass between countries so easily. China is relatively closed to people coming in but not when it comes to Chinese people going out.. Which is what spread this in the first place.

I ended up in China because it was the quickest place I could get a visa (6 days processing back then), when I was leaving Oz. It's increased significantly with the need to get documents notorized, but it's still not difficult to enter. China hasn't been difficult to enter since the 80s. The issue is residency.. not needing to renew your visa every year.

ILoveYourVibes

Clarence Boddiker wrote: »

It passes between people because people pass between countries so easily. China is relatively closed to people coming in but not when it comes to Chinese people going out.. Which is what spread this in the first place.

Its not at all closed to people going in.

My brother didn't even need a visa.

Clarence Boddiker

ILoveYourVibes wrote: »

Its not at all closed to people going in.

My brother didn't even need a visa.

Fair enough, I was replying to the poster who said China were the least open borders nation out there.

kenmc

one world order wrote: »

To turn back to God and make yourself right, giving the increasing atheist society we now live in that's controlled by the mass produced mainstream media.

Which god specifically? Thor? Zeus? Any one you fancy besides "none"? Or just the one your hobby indulges?

Junkyard Tom

There will should be increased focus on having an up-to-the-job public health system (factoring in 'private' hospital capability too) that has built-in redundancies for crises such as this.

Dr. Bre

So basically climate change will be the main positive . Reduced population. Lower emissions. Etc..

storker

Dr. Bre wrote: »

So basically climate change will be the main positive . Reduced population. Lower emissions. Etc..

Happier workers not spending 2-4 hours commuting each day, and actually being able to drive the kids to school themselves and be there to cook and eat dinner with the kids in the early evening. This is serious quality-of-life stuff. It's somewhat ironic that if such a thing comes about it will be because of a virus and not because of our governments, who clearly couldn't give a flying, flapping fcuk about citizens' quality of life. As long as the numbers look good...

The annoyingly stupid anti-science,anti-vax brigade will final be told to shut up and shown for the absolute nonsense it is

whisky_galore

The HSE getting a revamp and a clean out of useless hangers on and dead weight.

A halting of the ever-present vomiting bug doing the rounds because people actually WASH their HANDS and keep their fingers out of their gobs.

Strumms

Weepsie wrote: »

More working from home isn't necessarily a good thing. You're employer can easily start to encroach on your own time.

Things like ah sure you're normally in traffic 7.30-9 and 5-6.30 , why not work extra hours.

Nah you can't go offline now, you're at home and can work through your food and toilet breaks.

I know of at least 1 home job that was treated like that, but was an extreme example.


I'd hope it would just wake people up to being cleaner and think about where there stuff comes from, but I doubt it.

100%... a lot of people say it would be good to work from home but in this day and age it’s increasingly difficult to separate your work and your personal/family life as it is...

You’ll be walking out the door to the cinema and your boss would be calling you ...’just do me a quick favor and check an email I just sent you and give me your thoughts I need to call the MD...’

Other half and kids rightfully pissed off the kids have been going on about it for a week and you are tearing through a report that contains errors by a colleague, you start correcting it and all of a sudden you are “ ehh loveeee, go ahead with the kids, I’m stuck here for an hour “....

Fûck that, your number one loyalty is to your family and friends. Never give any employer an IN into your personal space, personal time or personal life. Separate them. Work in your office/workspace and LIVE at home, with family and friends, uninterruptible and uninterrupted by work and tossers who think it perfectly acceptable at a whim to demand and monopolize your time from th people in your life who mean the most.

nsi423

alchemist33 wrote: »

Less reliance on China for manufacturing

No, probably China will come out on the top of this one. China has pretty much got this under control and are getting back to some sort of normality. The West are just starting to feel the tip of the iceberg.
Very soon China will be protecting itself from the rest of the world, not the other way around.

freshpopcorn

People who are invited to weddings abroad now have a fantastic excuse for not going!

take everything

Bat soup off the menu

StupidLikeAFox

The stock markets will continue to tumble. Not sure if its an overall positive but this is an opportunity to invest in solid companies. For example, if you invested in the S&P500 in 2009 at the very bottom of the crash you would still have doubled your money today, even with the coronavirus-inspired collapse in the markets. Airline companies will take a hammering over the next few days/weeks/months (who knows?) but the good ones will recover when the panic and danger subsides

Ultimanemo

If it gets so bad it will help solving the pension crises.

StupidLikeAFox

Ultimanemo wrote: »

If it gets so bad it will help solving the pension crises.

whisky_galore wrote: »

The HSE getting a revamp and a clean out of useless hangers on and dead weight.

At best, you are both being fairly optimistic. At worst, delusional

Ultimanemo

StupidLikeAFox wrote: »

At best, you are both being fairly optimistic. At worst, delusional

How it will solve the pension crisis?
Nothing optimistic about it.

Firefork

Ultimanemo wrote: »

If it gets so bad it will help solving the pension crises.

No more of the sun life adds
June will have to self isolate

mfceiling

one world order wrote: »

To turn back to God and make yourself right, giving the increasing atheist society we now live in that's controlled by the mass produced mainstream media.

Which God will we turn back to? There's quite a few to choose from.

mfceiling

mfceiling wrote: »

Which God will we turn back to? There's quite a few to choose from.

Deffo not the one that dont allow drinking or eating meat on good friday

kenmc

Deleted User wrote: »

Deffo not the one that dont allow drinking or eating meat on good friday

Nor the one who doesn't like rashers.

kildare lad

Maybe the Chinese might realise that eating everything that moves can have severe conseqences . Maybe this can be positive for wildlife China .

kildare lad

one world order wrote: »

To turn back to God and make yourself right, giving the increasing atheist society we now live in that's controlled by the mass produced mainstream media.

Was it an atheist society back in 1918 when the Spanish flu killed 50 million people ?

olestoepoke

They may cancel the premier league. The virus could save world football by preventing Liverpool winning the league. Unlikely I know but at least after their 30 year wait they'll have to celebrate it in an empty stadium and no parade. Thats a positive for many of us.

maxsmum

I have to say, I did think that this will reduce the elderly population and possibly increase babies being born, both of which do from an economic point of view have a benefit. (Not saying I want your Gran to die or anything!)

Hamsterchops

kildare lad wrote: »

Maybe the Chinese might realise that eating everything that moves can have severe conseqences . Maybe this can be positive for wildlife China .

New cases of the virus in Wuhan are now down to single figures (from thousands) of new ones!

Great News.

So the virus can be beaten, and the Chinese are showing the way. Washing hands, washing hands + washing hands + wearing masks!

Hamsterchops

Hamsterchops wrote: »

New cases of the virus in Wuhan are now down to single figures (from thousands) of new ones!

Great News.

So the virus can be beaten, and the Chinese are showing the way. Washing hands, washing hands + washing hands + wearing masks!

Quarantines.

I really don't understand this mentality that seems common in Europe to take only one aspect of what China did and decide that's what works. Especially when Europe hasn't managed the "success" of China yet.

It's not just the case of washing and wearing masks. It's limiting people's movement, and also not simply "trusting" people not to be selfish.

This virus hasn't hit Europe properly yet, and I expect to see the same measures brought in.. although they'll be done late when they could have been much more effective earlier.

A positive would be to see a more effective government who can deal with dangers rather than being afraid of losing votes. Accountability will likely become a thing for politicians after this, especially once the virus becomes a more regular part of our lives and ineptitude happens. To put the country ahead of their careers.

Another positive and negative is the reduction in "rights", so that tougher but necessary measures can be brought in when needed during a crisis period. Western countries seem paralyzed when it comes to reacting to dangers because they're afraid of stepping on peoples rights, or offending someone.

whisky_galore

StupidLikeAFox wrote: »

At best, you are both being fairly optimistic. At worst, delusional

Old people dying is being optimistic in your view? Good man.

machiavellianme

Snow Garden wrote: »

It's all doom and gloom on the main thread but what are the positives surrounding the Covid19 coronavirus?

Top of my head...

- More employers will start working-from-home policies (where possible) and there will much less stigma around it in the future

- People will get to spend more time with their families and local communities this Spring

- Due to home working, there will be less traffic congestion on the roads and less people commuting for excessive hours every week

- People will develop better hygiene practices

- People will eat healthier, drink less and sleep more in order to build up their immune system

- The reduction in economic activity will have a positive effect on the environment and help countries meet their climate change targets

- Less pointless consumerism

- Food retailers will make increased profits due to stockpiling (much of which will probably get binned in the long run)

- The number of people that contract flu this year will diminish due to better hygiene standards at all levels

- We will finally fully acknowledge how inadequate our health service is and perhaps do something meaningful about it

- We may even get a national government who will focus on fixing major problems in Ireland rather than votes in the next election7

- People will eat more locally produced food

-

There was more congestion this morning. There appears to be lots more single occupancy cars with empty buses running up the QBC.

FTA69

There seems to be an almost blasé attitude amongst some on the effect this is going to have on our population. 'Well it'll reduce the amount of elderly dependents' etc.

I wonder will people be as cavalier when their granny is dying in a hospital that doesn't have enough ventilators.

ednwireland

Snow Garden wrote: »

It's all doom and gloom on the main thread but what are the positives surrounding the Covid19 coronavirus?

Top of my head...

- More employers will start working-from-home policies (where possible) and there will much less stigma around it in the future

im trying to make sure everyone has homeworking sorted in our office, going to be a nightmare to support and work for me with my crappy broadband at home

Snow Garden wrote: »

Less pointless consumerism


-

just bought a ridiculously expensive bike

FTA69 wrote: »

There seems to be an almost blasé attitude amongst some on the effect this is going to have on our population. 'Well it'll reduce the amount of elderly dependents' etc.

I wonder will people be as cavalier when their granny is dying in a hospital that doesn't have enough ventilators.

my mothers 88 in a nursing home in the uk and honestly i am just waiting for the call and i wont be able to go over for the funeral

FTA69

Both my grandparents are old and frail, these are people who raised me for a large part of my life. Another relative is immunosuppressant because of a kidney transplant.

It is genuinely terrifying to look at the graphs showing mass exponential growth day after day. The health service in Italy is better than we have on both sides of the Irish border and they are having hundreds of deaths a day; we are facing a large epidemic and it's very scary.

Gentleman Off The Pitch

Exclamation Marc wrote: »

Not a positive. And evidence of any of the total lack of respect for the elderly and what they've done, economic benefit or otherwise.

That's along the same lines as saying the positive of a mass shooting is that a company will reap money from selling the ammunition.

For all the ignorant pricks joking about mass deaths of the elderly freeing up housing, sorting out pension issues, they won't be some smugly flippant about peoples loved ones being wiped out if Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 does a Spanish flu on it and comes back next season with a new age profile in mind

LirW

The number of arts and crafts hobbies will pick up, leading to better mental health.
My husband looks forward to continue painting his Warhammer miniatures when we spend the majority of the time indoors.

ednwireland

LirW wrote: »

My husband looks forward to continue painting his Warhammer miniatures when we spend the majority of the time indoors.

i plan to be riding my bike on my own !

storker

whisky_galore wrote: »

The HSE getting a revamp and a clean out of useless hangers on and dead weight.

My wife is a front-line HSE-employed health worker and the amount of employees who are resistant to change, just for the sake of resisting change, drives her nuts.

StupidLikeAFox

whisky_galore wrote: »

Old people dying is being optimistic in your view? Good man.

I absolutely did not say that?. Old people will die unfortunately - thinking this will "fix" the pension crisis or the HSE is silly stuff

Firefork

ednwireland wrote: »

i plan to be riding my bike on my own !

Great excuse not to take a pillion either

Snow Garden

Let's keep things positive folks.

I used to fish a lot (trout, pike etc). I haven't done it in years.
On Saturday I am going to dig out the fishing gear and resume my hunter practices. Quite looking forward to it now.

iguana

I'm weirdly confident that when we are having to kick start our economy after this has passed (whenever that may be) the government will have to ensure that leisure facilities are able to acquire insurance.

FTA69

FTA69 wrote: »

There seems to be an almost blasé attitude amongst some on the effect this is going to have on our population. 'Well it'll reduce the amount of elderly dependents' etc.

I wonder will people be as cavalier when their granny is dying in a hospital that doesn't have enough ventilators.

My grandparents are dead already so that's not an issue... but what about my parents who are in their 70s? Or close friends who are in their late 50s? Or nieces/nephews under 10 years old? That's all dangerous territory.

There's a lot retarded notions going on with regards to this crisis. Viruses can mutate. Now is definitely not the time to relaxing and dismissing the risks. The virus hasn't been fully mapped out and dealt with. It's not as if we won't see it change over the next 8-12 months before a vaccine is found and manufactured in the numbers needed...

I think people are looking at this like it's going to be a short term thing... it's not. It's going to be with us for at least a year, if not longer...

As a selfish positive, I'm hoping to see the ebook area really kick off, and to see some serious attention by readers, as opposed to print (Since I have a fantasy book coming out soon). It'll be interesting to see how traditional publishers deal with the slowdown in physical shops, and the inability for authors to do book signing or other promotional methods.