History shows that humanity has faced numerous outbreaks of diseases, and some of them have changed the course of history. In the days when the whole world is caught in the coronavirus pandemic, it is essential to remember that in the history of humankind, some many epidemics and pandemics covered many countries of the world and claimed thousands and millions of lives, completely changing their daily lives.
Epidemics in those early days often plagued people, taking thousands of lives. One of these disasters is considered to be the London plague of 1666 (Bradman 68). In those days, unthinkable unsanitary conditions reigned everywhere, with foul sewerage and water supply, and people themselves did not strive to adhere to hygiene. These conditions created favorable conditions for the reproduction of rats, which became the distributors of infection (Newitz 1). London became an ideal place for the spread of the epidemic.
Then the authorities, as now during the outbreak of the coronavirus epidemic, imposed a general quarantine, people bought food and stayed at home, businesses closed and went bankrupt. The need to leave the house to buy food was, by and large, the reason that ruined the whole city because it was at these moments that people were infected from each other (Project Gutenberg). The trouble with London was that just before the plague, and the city had grown enormously. The population of the capital increased by hundreds of thousands of people.
In modern historiography, the end of the plague epidemic is associated with London’s Great Fire, which destroyed and disinfected the vast majority of the city. While the fire certainly played a positive role, it is most likely that the decisive factor was the strict isolation measures imposed by Parliament and specially trained guards (Bradman 72). The spread of disease was slowed down, and within a year, all infected either died or acquired the necessary immunity. In the city, bonfires were burned around the clock to purify the air, and various strongly smelled substances were added to these fires. All these actions harmed the ecological state of the city and people’s lives.
The current coronavirus epidemic could not help but refresh the memory of the events of 1666. The pandemic has brought down the habitual way of life of millions of people. In the first few months, what was considered necessary and vital for decades was devalued: the consumer society was transformed into a security society (Britschgi 3). People who used to move freely around the world were locked in their countries.
The first news of the new Coronavirus from China came just before the Chinese New Year, and the vast majority of people, if they noticed it, did not pay any attention to it. The beginning of the Coronavirus was marked by the fact that many citizens rushed to the shops, buying up hygiene items and, most importantly, toilet paper (Haleem et al. 78). Needlessly, the supermarkets admonished the terrified public that there was enough food and that there was no need to stock up on provisions for several years to come. Those who had the instinct of self-preservation in the form of increased hoarding did not respond to the admonitions.
In recent years, technology has significantly changed the classroom and workplace. Education and work using Internet technologies make the work-process easier and avoid time expenditure. But hybrid learning is not about transferring most of the curriculum to a virtual classroom. Unlike distance education, hybrid learning is a complex combination of the best methods of face-to-face and online learning (Hampton et al., 31). This is a model that combines traditional classroom experience, experiential learning, and digital course materials, aimed at obtaining the maximum result for each set learning goal, providing better-trained professionals. The integration of technology in the workplace provides the productivity gains needed to remain competitive and motivated. The development of technologies may require training of employees to ensure their proper use and integration into everyday work.
The coronavirus epidemic has become one of the main threats to the global economy and financial markets. To restrain the virus, dubbed COVID-19, authorities have shut down cities, slowing down business operations and decelerating the growth of most countries’ economies. The pandemic has also had a negative impact on the service sector and negatively impacted retail, restaurants, and aviation (Donthu 287). Due to the imposed quarantine, people stopped visiting public places, more often ordered food and groceries at home, and stopped traveling because of closed borders. The reduction in production activity around the world also led to a decrease in oil demand, which also caused the decline in oil prices.
Health services had also adapted to the new way of life. During the COVID-19 pandemic, personal meetings with doctors have become dangerous for people’s health, and more patients prefer remote meetings and gradually make them into their habit. The same applies to pharmacies and home delivery of medicines (Haleem et al. 2). Online shopping platforms are introducing more medical supplements to their assortment, and many pharmacies are paying more attention to their online sales.
The latest pandemic, in which the whole world lives, is caused by the COVID-19. The disease interrupted global prosperity; halting globalization due to the threat of the spread of the infection. All the consumer society’s plans turned out to be insignificant compared to the new goals of this time – the protection of the countries and families’ health. The pandemic has affected all inhabited continents and has not yet been stopped. The consequences of the epidemic irrevocably permeate all aspects of people’s lives.
Works Cited
Bradman, Tony. Plague: Outbreak in London, 1665-1666. Scholastic UK, 2017.
Britschgi, Christian. “Covid-19 is Reigniting Old Debates about Zoning, Public Health, Urban Planning, and Suburban Sprawl: Will Cities Survive 2020?” Reason, vol. 52, no. 8, 2021, pp. 1-21.
Donthu, Naveen, and Anders Gustafsson. “Effects of COVID-19 on business and research.” Journal of Business Research, 2020, vol. 117, pp. 284–289.
Haleem, Abid, Mohd Javaid, and Raju Vaishya. “Effects of COVID 19 pandemic in daily life.” Current Medicine Research and Practice, 2020, pp. 78-79.
Hampton, Debra, Patricia F. Pearce, and Debra K. Moser. “Preferred methods of learning for nursing students in an on-line degree program.” Journal of Professional Nursing, vol. 33, no.1, 2017, pp. 27-37.
Newitz, Annalee. “What Social Distancing Looked Like in1666.” The New York Times, 2020, pp. 1-2.
Project Gutenberg. “Daniel Defoe: A Journal of the Plague Year (1722), Effect of the Plague on London.” World History: The Modern Era, ABC-CLIO, 2021.