Coronavirus: Nine Reasons To Be Reassured – Guardian, March 7, 2020
At a time when it feels as if the sky is falling in on us, it is important to put things into perspective: Context is key, and today’s world is better placed to deal with the pandemic than we might think. Read on to get a good sense of what the nine reasons are.
Keeping Business Alive: The Government Will Pay – UC Berkeley, March 16, 2020
Two economists, Emmanuel Saez and Gabriel Zucman, propose an unprecedented program for an unprecedented situation. Policies that would have seemed “inconceivable” just a few weeks ago may well become “standard” around the world as governments try to prevent the economic recession turning into a catastrophic depression. In this brief, highly commented upon paper, they call for the government to act as a “payer of last resort” to “stanch the flow of mass layoffs and business destruction” provoked by the pandemic. Read on to get a sense of what this might/will entail.
We’re Not Going Back to Normal (How social distancing will change the world forever, from healthcare to exercise) – MIT Technology Review, March 17, 2020
A number of credible scientific studies make it clear that social distancing is here to stay for much more than a few weeks. It will upend our way of life, in some ways, forever. When the pandemic is over, it will have radically changed almost everything in the macro world (the economy, geopolitics, societal issues, etc.) but also almost everything we do: how we work, exercise, socialize, shop, manage our health, educate our kids, and take care of our family members.
Photos Show Why Hand Sanitizer Doesn’t Work as Well as Soap and Water to Remove Germs – Business Insider, March 6, 2020
Proper handwashing is proven effective in slowing the pandemic. Recent research conducted at MIT concludes that (1) improving the rate of handwashing at just 10 major world airports could significantly slow the spread of a viral disease, and (2) the greater the improvement in people’s handwashing habits at airports, the more dramatic the effect on slowing the disease. This article shows how to do it properly.
A Striking Stat:
ZoomLife: Suddenly, it’s where we work, throw parties, and go to school…
On a single day, March 15, roughly 600,000 people downloaded the Zoom app for digital conferencing. Zoom is now valued at $29 billion—more than airlines such as Delta, United or American Airlines.
Source: Apptopia data, March 2020
