※ 아래 스크립트는 발표자의 발표내용을 그대로 표기하였으므로 구어체 표현이 포함되어있고,
Saying that the Covid-19 pandemic has just changed our world would be an understatement. In less than four months after it first emerged back in January of 2019, it upended the lives of everyone across the globe. The outbreak has affected over 180 countries, infected more than 80 million people, and has killed almost two million people.
COVID-19 challenged and is still challenging governments to act in ways that were normally reserved for war and disasters. Governments took and are still taking extreme measures to limit human costs and prevent economic disruption. It is the most consequential set of public policy and mass behavior change most of us have seen in our lifetimes.
The biggest change is our society. It has changed into an "untact" society. The word “untact” is a newly coined term that means using technology to provide services and use products without physically facing people. While facing Covid 19, we lost precious moments that we could spend with our family and friends. Take school as an example. Back in 2019, the government took special measures to delay the first day of school to late April. When I finally went to school, things were not what I expected. Our desks were spaced out, instead of being in groups. There were plastic sheets around our desk. And. We had to wear masks at all times. Can you imagine my frustration? Although we took these special measures, COVID-19 continued to spread to every corner. This resulted in online class. I.. did not cope well with online class. It was horrible. This is why. Being the class representative, I was responsible for having all of my classmates in the correct classroom ON TIME, ready. This meant contacting classmates who were not in class. Although most of my classmates had phones that I could contact them with, there were some who did not. This turned out to be a HUGE problem. When I had to contact those kids, I would first contact my homeroom teacher with my message. She would then contact the parents, who then contacted the kids. The kids would then reply to the parents. The parents would reply to the teacher. Then the teacher would send a message to me. The entire process took about 30 min. Not very time efficient.
I believe that in order to improve our current situation, governments should make it easier for organizations to accelerate scientific breakthroughs. Antibody studies, immunity determination, and vaccine development are critical and necessary elements. Increasing and providing access into cyberspace should also be a top priority. One of the most essential things is providing accurate and reliable information about the virus; its spread, how to prevent it, recognizing symptoms, and laying inaccurate information to rest.
We should turn the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic into an opportunity for devising strategies. In every government's approach, policies and contingency plans must be in place to foresee and be better prepared for the future. Strengthening the resilience and effectiveness of public services that is also a definite must.
If humanity is to thrive again, we must remember that we are together. We are not alone in this fight.
Thank you.