Positive News to Take From the Coronavirus Outbreak
It’s no secret that we could all do with extracting some positive news from the coronavirus crisis at the moment. Being cooped up inside isn’t easy for anyone, but if we can learn to pick out the silver linings in the clouds we can all come out of this experience stronger and more appreciative. So, as we approach day seven of the UK lockdown due to COVID-19, here are some positive stories and changes that have arisen from the pandemic.
Appreciating Our Freedom to Travel the World
It’s a bit of a cliché at this point, but it still rings resoundingly true: you don’t know what you have until you no longer have it. And for nothing is this more applicable than our ability to travel the world each and every year, exploring incredible landscapes, cities and cultures as we please.
When holidaying becomes a yearly fixture in our lives, we can become numb to the extraordinary possibilities of travel that our ancestors could have hardly even dreamt of. Now that it’s been taken away from us for a while, that next trip will be all the more special and memorable.
Appreciating our Social Circles
In a similar vein, and to use another classic cliché, absence makes the heart grow fonder, and we can truly appreciate the full value our network of friends and loved ones when it’s no longer immediately accessible. The online data shows exactly this: private messaging apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger have reported an enormous uptick in traffic during the coronavirus outbreak, as friends and family communicate more and more with one another. Text messaging has spiked by 50%, whilst video calling has more than doubled in recent days.
The Environmental Impact of Coronavirus
Stats about the environmental impact of coronavirus are striking. With the lack of worldwide flights and car emissions, air pollution levels have plummeted by almost half compared to usual – something nobody could possibly have envisaged a couple of months ago. It’s no secret that the planet has needed a break from human mass industry and fossil fuel consumption, and even after a matter of weeks we can already see the smog lifting from our skies, marine life filling our rivers and lakes, and birds returning to some of the most built-up cities in the world.
Communities Coming Together
In our modern world it’s all too easy to feel disconnected and isolated from each-other, but the past few weeks have been a reminder that it is simply human nature to help one another. We’ve seen thousands of examples of extraordinary acts of decency, from enormous volunteering turnouts to quarantine concerts played out from balconies, but for us nothing beats the Cuban doctors flying into Italy to support the country’s frontline workers.
We hope that wherever you are in the world you’re staying safe in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. Supercity’s doors are still open in London, Manchester and Brighton for anyone who needs a safe, secure short-term place to stay. Have a read of our latest safety measures and contingency plans here.