The end of the year 2019 brought with itself a formidable enemy in the form of novel Corona Virus. The disease reportedly originated in central China’s Hubei Province and has claimed more than 95,813 lives till date.
In March 2020, WHO declared COVID-19 as a pandemic leading to global unrest. During times like these, it is the foremost duty of any organization to take care of their employees and work for their convenience.
The novel Coronavirus outbreak has triggered an anxious trial run for remote work on a global scale. What we will learn in the next few months will help us shape a future of work that might be inevitable, with or without a once-in-a-century public-health crisis.
The current scenario has presented itself as an extremely tedious time for all. The primary method for Coronavirus prevention is Social Distancing, a practice that has already been implemented across the world. Coronavirus has affected everything and everyone around the world, right from people’s health to major economics across the globe. Most of the Governments around the world have already implemented full-blown lockdowns as a measure for Coronavirus prevention. As a result, economies are struggling to cope up due to disrupted workflow. Due to the indispensable connectivity of the internet, employees in most institutions are able to Work from Home and provide their share of contribution to society while practicing social distancing.
Doctors are working round the clock and are risking their lives to fight this uninvited guest. Countries have been locked down for weeks now and all the mega international events have been brought to closure for Coronavirus prevention. Simply put, this biological enemy has seriously challenged our medical expertise and advancements, bringing several of the top global economies to their knees in a matter of weeks.
However, Faith and Determination are our carriers of hope along with being the only way right now for winning the war against this Pandemic.
Coronavirus, officially called Covid-19 or novel Coronavirus is an unknown strain in a large family of viruses which is known to circulate in animals as well as humans. Studies have shown that the virus is much more fatal for the elderly than it is for young people. It causes severe damage to the lungs among other fatal effects.
According to Scientists and experts, the Animal Coronavirus has rarely evolved since its discovery and infected only animals but now, it has gained the ability to infect and spread among people. Scientists, however, have still been unable to come up with an accurate understanding as to how or why this evolution has happened.
Other examples of Coronaviruses that have made Animal to Human transition include:
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) – MERS disease was detected in 2,494 people back in 2012. It spread to 27 countries and took lives of more than 800 people.
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) – SARS was detected and contained in 2003, infecting approximately 8,000 people and killed more than 700.
Currently, the most searched query on Google probably is ‘What are the symptoms of Coronavirus’ According to the current reports and statistics, Coronavirus symptoms may appear anytime between 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. The major Coronavirus symptoms include:
1. Fever
2. Painful Sinuses
3. Dry and extreme Cough
4. Lungs start to feel like Paper bags
5. Shortness of breath
The Exposure report is based on what has been seen previously in the Incubation period of MERS-CoV viruses.
A person who develops Emergency warning signs for COVID-19 should immediately get medical attention. The Emergency warning signs are:
As always, precaution is better than cure. Coronavirus can enter a human body while breathing (after someone coughs in close proximity) or if the person touches a contaminated surface and then the face. The virus targets the cells lining the human throat first, followed by airways and lungs. It then turns them into “coronavirus factories” that produce a large number of new viruses that further infect more cells.
Coronavirus prevention is not a very tough task to follow. Sticking to a few basic points can help you to beat the virus. The Precautions that people should follow are:
● Maintaining Social Distance with people who have common cold and fever.
● Avoid touching your mouth, nose, and eyes. Instead, use tissues to wipe
● Stay at home if you are feeling sick.
● Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue and throw it away in the trash. When you don’t have a tissue cover it with your elbow. Practicing health respiratory hygiene is crucial.
● Disinfect frequently touched Objects and Surfaces.
● Clean your hands with a liquor based hand sanitizer/rub or wash them with Soap, It executes infection that maybe are on your hands
Companies across the globe are, either voluntarily or forcefully, shutting down active office operations and shifting to ‘Work from home’ format. Though economies are failing due to the obvious negative effect of COVID-19, companies are still keeping themselves busy, motivating their Employees and are trying to do anything so as to maintain decent business.
A lot of business giants have voluntarily called off their Office Space and have facilitated their employees with everything to work conveniently from their homes. Scientists, Doctors, Emergency Health workers out there are fighting every day, every hour, and every second so that we can relax at our home. Various measures are being taken around the world by different companies which include paid leaves, medical fees, unemployment insurance among other provisions to ensure a safe environment not only for their employees but also their families and relatives.
Examples of companies and their measures to battle COVID-19
The Digital Media Company has made a Public statement announcing a reduction in Salary for the majority of Employees with an average 25% pay cut for the moths of April and May as it is struggling to cope up with losses coming from the Coronavirus pandemic.
BuzzFeed CEO John Peretti later announced that he will sacrifice his Salary due to the Coronavirus Outbreak which made a huge hit on Media publishers as the decline in advertising continues.
The OTT streaming platform has announced that it will fund a $100 million relief fund for its crew members who have been working on studio productions and have stopped working due to the Coronavirus outburst. Moreover, Netflix also said that a sum of $ 15 million will go towards NGO’s and other third parties who are providing emergency reliefs to their cast and crew in Countries with production bases.
The Company has also committed $1 million to the COVID-19 disaster fund, Motion Pictures, Television fund and another $1 million to the AFC and Fondation des Artistes
The Retail Business Giant and the World’s largest private employer has deployed an Emergency employee leave program and will be starting a new Attendance policy till the End of April.
According to its Policy, if an Individual associate or Employee is called upon by the Government or Company or falls ill due to COVID-19, He/She will receive a full Two weeks pay. Also if the Employee is not able to return for work after two weeks, an added pay replacement will be available up to 26 weeks for full time and part-time employees
MAKING RIGHTFUL LABS A SAFE FAMILY
At Rightful Labs, it is very important for us to take Coronavirus preventions measures for everyone so that they stay safe and the work goes on harmoniously. While Coronavirus in India is still in its nascent stage, we’ve had our preparations from early on. Sanitizers have been placed at different places in the office along with doubling on the number of hand cleaners. As the disease became rampant in the world, the biometric was uninstalled and we made sure that everyone worked at a safe distance from each other.
Further, the use of landline telephones has been stopped and the same is the case with coffee machines. But we have some superheroes among heroes; our house-keeping staff took care of everyone well and kept everything clean. They sanitized every door of the office regularly, and especially the washroom doors.
All Employees were requested to take necessary precautions by avoiding handshakes and any kind of body contact, as the virus is communicable through touch. After working with the safety precautions for a few days, we eventually called off the office premises and now have started working from home. Here are some more efforts Rightful labs is going with:-
1. The Boss Is The One Who Leads. Our Family’s CEO Arif Khan decided to offer Rs 5000 to each and every member of the family for Essential Supplements. Truly, he’s a Gem in a Coalmine.
2. What’s Work without Internet? No Work. To Combat this situation, employees were provided with High-Speed Broadband connections at Home along with their Office Systems to ensure a Perfect WFH Setup.
4. The team may leave to Work From Home, but it is always together no matter what. Our HR, as well as CEO, have opened up their arms for any requirements, needs or troubles any of us might be facing in these tough times.
5. A human in need is a friend indeed. In this unexpected situation, we at Rightful have lent a helping hand by starting a Crowdfunding Campaign to help the needy.
At Last, COVID-19 has changed the work & mood of the Companies overnight. The global outbreak has also seriously impacted the economy and job security everywhere. According to Health experts, It will go on to have long-lasting, game-changing ramifications.
However, We should only act to Pray, Stay and Work From Home, with Faith and Determination, our Carriers of Hope and the only way of getting out of this Pandemic.
