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What Has The Pandemic Cost Us?
Case Studies and Cultural Perspectives
How has the virus Impacted the world economically?
Global shares take a hit
Big shifts in stock markets, where shares in companies are bought and sold, can affect many investments in pensions or individual savings accounts (ISAs).
The FTSE, Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nikkei have all seen huge falls since the outbreak began on 31 December.
The Dow and the FTSE recently saw their biggest one day declines since 1987.
“From an economic perspective, the key issue is not just the number of cases of COVID-19, but the level of disruption to economies from containment measures”
Ben May, head of global macro research at Oxford Economics, said in a report this week.
Downgrades in economic forecasts
The outbreak has led major institutions and banks to cut their forecasts for the global economy. One of the latest to do so is the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
In a March report, the OECD said it downgraded its 2020 growth forecasts for almost all economies.
Source: BBC & CNBC
Fake News
“Fake and malicious messages spread on social media about possibly mid-April emergency declarations and Indian Army, Veterans, NCC and NSS jobs to assist civil administration. It is explained that this is completely fake, “
tweeted the Army’s Additional Public Information Directorate-General.
The government has also debunked gossip about plans to extend the ongoing 21-day lockdown
period, announced on March 24 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to tackle the coronavirus crisis.
Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba’s clarification came after hundreds of thousands of migrant labourers undertook long journeys to their homes from major urban centers on foot in the last five days, reflecting their struggle for survival due to job losses following the lockdown.
The government’s Press Information Bureau said in a tweet: “There are rumors and media stories, stating that when it expires, the government will prolong the# Lockdown21. The Secretary of the Cabinet denied these reports, saying theywere baseless. “PIB’s Twitter Fact Check handle also asked people to ‘be careful about fake account details circulating under the pretext of the PM CARES Fund.’
On Sunday, the cybercrime unit of Delhi police detected a fake Unified Payments Interface (UPI)
ID produced with a motive to cheat donors from the newly established PM CARES Fund to combat the outbreak of coronavirus.
Anyesh Roy, DCP (cybercrime) said in a tweet that it created the fake UPI with the pmcare@sbi ID, which is similar to the correct pmcares@sbi ID.
India’s State Bank was also briefed on the fake ID, and it was blocked by the bank, a police official said. The matter is being investigated and attempts are under way to locate the suspects, he said. Another ‘fake news’ debunked by the authorities included a message that the Home Ministry has
decided to make it a punishable offense if anyone posts on social media anything related to
coronavirus.
There are also a number of other such misinformation circulating including
about the treatment with COVID-19 and ways to avoid getting infected with the deadly coronavirus.
“There is no scientific evidence proving that # Coronavirus is killed by inhaling hot water vapour.
Respiratory hygiene, social distancing and hand washing areeffective measures to prevent Covid19.
“Let’s spread the facts, not fear and contribute to # IndiaFightsCoronavirus”, tweeted PIB Fact
Check. Boom FactCheck tweeted, among private fact-checkers, that a “misleading”
infographic was shared thousands of times in multiple Facebook posts with a nine-day timeline of the novel coronavirus symptoms.
It also debunked another “fake” message claiming that several areas in Mumbai, including Mohammed Ali Road, were blacklisted and placed under Army control.
Another misleading message claimed a state government in India had suggested that bitter gourd
juice, a vegetable that is often used in traditional medicine, be an effective treatment for the novel
coronavirus. This one was found to be incorrect too.
On social media, several people, including some senior journalists, fell prey to an old Jakarata
prank video that went viral after being presented as Goa and as a “innovative way to keep people indoors.”
Fact-checker SM Hoax Slayer said, “A video from Prank is viral, tweeted by a few media houses
and reporters claim to be recent and from Goa. It shows a man wearing a ghost-looking suit
suddenly jumping in front of a motorcycle on a bridge because of which the rider gets scared, turns around and leaves and the pillion rider climbs the bridge followed by the prankster. The fact-checking website found the prank video was not from Goa at all, nor was it related to the lockdown or coronavirus outbreak.
From May 2019, the video was found to be nearly a year old, and originated in Jakarta , Indonesia. Some people and organizations tweeted a correction after being corrected by SMHoaxSlayer in
response to their mistaken tweet, while few others deleted the original tweet.
AltNews debunked a viral audio clip, posed as a conversation between two
men, one of whom stated that the World Health Organization (WHO) had asked India to extend the lockdown from 15 April to 15 June.
AltNews said its enquiry considered the argument to be absolutely bogus.
Interestingly, in February itself, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had said, “We are not only fighting an epidemic; we are fighting an infodemic.” Several other countries also
face an increased flow of fake coronavirus-related news.
In the Cabinet Office,U.K., a rapid response team has been set up to partner with social media
platforms to delete fake news and offensive content. The anti-fake news unit in the UK is still
struggling with up to 10 false stories about coronavirus a day.
The Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ruchi Ghanashyam, also appealed on
Sunday to Indian citizens stranded in the country due to the coronavirus pandemic to be careful about fake news about the Air India evacuation flights scheduled for next week.
A few days ago, another viral message had re-surfaced about all calls being recorded and platforms being monitored like WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter with the start of the lockdown period, but it was found to be fake.
Boom FactCheck found that from as far back as 2017, the viral message has been doing rounds on
social media. It also found that the message refers to one ‘Internal Regulation Ministry’ which is not exiting in India, Police have also begun to take action in such cases in different parts of the country.
A woman was arrested in Kolkata on Monday for allegedly sharing fake information on WhatsApp concerning COVID-19. In her article, she had apparently reported that 15 people tested positive for
novel coronavirus in the city’s New Alipore district, and that the state government gave the details.
An officer said the Kolkata Police had kept any eye on social media to prevent fake news from circulating.
A journalist has been booked in Himachal Pradesh for allegedly spreading fake news about bus
plying amid the lockdown.
A 30-year-old man was arrested on Sunday at Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh for uploading a fake and alarmist Facebook post on behalf of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in connection with the lockdown, police say.
Similar arrests were made in Mizoram as well as in some other parts of the country, while the cyber unit of Maharashtra Police registered 36 FIRs across the state against those spreading false news about coronavirus on social media.
Entertainment events postponed
Gradually, organizations have faced the comparable hard inquiry from the basketball league and universal shows to rambling celebrations: Is a meeting worth the danger of distributing the new ncov2019?
The right answer has been, time and again, “no.”
Tokyo Olympics joined many associations, social events , and social occasions that have changed their arrangements throughout the last couple of weeks, as the World Health Organization has officially proclaimed a pandemic to the coronavirus and the number of people who have been sickened or died has mounted.
Sports
2020 Olympics
Tokyo ‘s 2020 Summer Olympics were postponed to 2021 following weeks of uncertainty as to whether the games will proceed as scheduled in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
After Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee, agreed to the one-year postponement request from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo A e, the IOC declared on March 30 that the games would be held from July 23 to August 8, 2021, but will still be named the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
The Paralympic Games’ new date will be August 24-September 5, 2021.
The new date was confirmed during a call by the International Olympic Committee, the organizers of Tokyo 2020 and the Japanese government, and the International Paralympic Committee.
“In the present circumstances, and on the basis of today’s information from the WHO, the IOC President and the Prime Minister of Japan have concluded that the XXXII Olympic Games in Tokyo must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020, but not later than the summer of 2021, in order to safeguard the health of athletes, of all those involved in the Olympic Games and of the international community,” the IOC stated.
French Open
The Grand Slam clay court tournament was postponed from May 24, and is now scheduled to take place from Sept. 20 to Oct. 4, announced Tuesday by the French Tennis Federation.
March Madness: NCAA
Tournament, League Tournaments
In view of concerns about the coronavirus, March Madness was cancelled. The NCAA canceled all remaining championships for the year in an official statement on March 11; earlier, the organization had planned to have no fans attending games.
NBA
After Utah Jazz player Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19 the NBA became the first major sports league in the U.S. to suspend the play season; Gobert’s teammate Donovan Mitchell also tested positive for the virus.
“The NBA is suspending game play until further notice following the closing of tonight’s game schedule,” the league said in a statement on March 12.
“Concerning the coronavirus pandemic, the NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps.”
UEFA
The UEFA announced in a statement on Friday that it has postponed all competition matches for the Champions League and Europa League club through next week.
“All UEFA club matches scheduled for next week are postponed in light of developments due to the spread of Covid-19 in Europe and related decisions taken by various governments,” the European governing body said in the statement.
The quarter-final draws were also postponed for the Champions League and the Europa League, which were scheduled for March 20.
Movies Postponed
| Movies | Original US Release Date | New US Releae Date |
| Wonder Woman 1984 | June 26 | August 14 |
| No Time to Die | April 10 | November 25 |
| A Quiet Place Part II | March 20 | TBD |
| Fast and Furious 9 | May 23 | April 2, 2021 |
| Peter Rabbit 2 | April 3 | August 7 |
| Minions: The Rise of Gru | July 3 | TBD |
Music concerts
SXSW
The sprawling music, film and media festival of Austin was cancelled just a week before its start date in March, after many participating companies such as Twitter and Facebook had preemptively dropped out. According to the Austin American-Statesman, SXSW then laid off one third of its personnel.
“We are planning for the future and this was a necessary step, but heartbreaking,” the firm said in a statement.
E3
The annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) has been cancelled due to concerns regarding coronavirus spread. The organizer, Entertainment Software Association (ESA), announced their decision on March 11 in a statement: “We made the difficult decision to cancel E3 2020, scheduled for June 9-11 in Los Angeles, after careful consultation with our member companies regarding the health and safety of everyone in our industry — our fans, our employees, our exhibitors and our longtime E3 partners.
https://time.com/5801956/events-canceled-coronavirus/
Myths about COVID-19
5 G Mobile Networks DON’T Spread COVID-19
Viruses can not travel on radio waves / mobile networks. In many countries which do not have 5 G mobile networks, COVID-19 spreads. COVID-19 is spread through respiratory droplets when a person who is infected coughs, sneezes or talks. People may also become infected by touching a contaminated surface
and then by touching their eyes , mouth or nose.
Exposure to the sun or to temperatures above 25 C DOES NOT prevent
coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
You can catch COVID-19 however sunny or hot the weather may be.
Countries with hot weather had COVID-19 cases reported. Make sure to clean
your hands frequently and thoroughly to protect yourself, and avoid touching your eyes , mouth, and nose.
COVID-19CANNOT transmit through mosquito bites.
To date there has been no information or evidence suggesting that mosquitoes could transmit the new coronavirus. The new coronavirus is a respiratory virus that primarily spreads through droplets that are generated when an infected person coughs or sneezes, or through droplets of saliva or nose discharge.
Clean your hands often with an alcohol-based hand rubbing, or wash them with soap and water to protect yourself. Also, avoid close contact with whoever coughes and sneezes.
Is it effective for hand dryers to kill the new coronavirus?
The 2019-nCoV kills by hand dryers are not effective. You should often clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water to protect yourself against the new coronavirus. You should dry them thoroughly, using paper towels or a warm air dryer, once your hands are cleaned.
Can a ultraviolet disinfection lamp kill the new coronavirus ?
UV lamps should not be used to sanitize hands or other skin areas, as the radiation can cause irritation to the skin.
Can a spray of alcohol or chlorine kill the new coronavirus all over your body?
Sprinkling alcohol or chlorine throughout your body won’t kill viruses that
already enter your body. Sprinkling of such substances can harm clothing or mucous membranes (i.e. eyes, mouth). Be aware that both alcohol and chlorine may be useful for disinfecting surfaces, but should be used as recommended.
Do pneumonia vaccines protect you from new coronavirus?
Pneumonia vaccines, such as pneumococcal vaccine and a type B (Hib)
Haemophilus influenza vaccine, do not provide protection against the new coronavirus. The virus is so new and so different it needs a vaccine of its own.
Researchers are trying to develop a 2019-nCoV vaccine and WHO supports their efforts. Although these vaccines are not effective against 2019-nCoV, it is
highly recommended to vaccinate against respiratory diseases to protect your health.
Can eating garlic help prevent new coronavirus infection?
Garlic is a healthy food with the potential to have certain antimicrobial properties. There’s no evidence from the current outbreak, however, that
eating garlic has protected people against the new coronavirus.
Are antibiotics effective in preventing the new coronavirus and its treatment?
No, antibiotics do not work against viruses, they only work against bacteria.
The new coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is a virus, and antibiotics should therefore not be used as a preventive or treatment tool. However, if you are hospitalized for the 2019-nCoV, you may receive antibiotics, as co-infection with bacteria is possible.
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/myth-busters
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