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The student news site of Colonia High School

The Declaration

The student news site of Colonia High School

The Declaration

Covid-19’s Effects: Are they Permanent?

A+photo+essay+on+Covid-19+by+Sara+Attia
Photo Credit: Photographs used under the Creative Commons License via Piktochart.
People’s lives have been affected by Covid-19, from planes to food.

Covid-19 has changed the world as we know it, and we can’t tell if this is permanent.

From public transportation like planes or trains all but shutting down to grocery stores constantly having empty shelves, the world is much different. All over the United States people are going on strikes. Essential workers are striking for proper working conditions and unemployed people are going on rent strikes. Already, we’ve seen changes in the systems that already existed. The College Board, for example, has allowed for taking Advanced Placement exams online, and has removed the exam section for many AP classes, according to the Washington Post. The world is changing, but is it permanent?

Environment Changes from Covid-19

Many people have heard about how the lack of tourism in Italy has had “normally cloudy canals… transformed into water crystal clear enough to see fish swimming below,” according to ABC News. Many people are reporting similar occurrences. Some have even gone so far as to call humans ‘a disease’ on social media.

But these changes are not permanent, and calling humans a disease is not factual. Not to mention the reports of environmental change aren’t even factual. In Venice, the canals are only clearer, not cleaner. According to USA Today, “‘The water now looks clearer because there is less traffic on the canals, allowing the sediment to stay at the bottom,’ the Venice mayor’s office said.”

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All of these changes are only temporary unless people make an effort to change after Covid-19 is defeated. Air pollution, which has seen a decrease due to Covid-19, will not stay like this. After this is over, will be people readily go onto planes again? Will pollution in New York City rise back up again? Not just that, but a disease killing thousands of people and infecting millions should not be considered a good thing.

Business Effects from Covid-19

The BBC reports that “global economy… growth predictions have fallen by half because of corona virus.” Some people have noted how demand for oil products have dropped, but compare it to the crash of 2008. By 2010, the economy was at an all-time high. With the new United States stimulus package it stands yet to be seen if big businesses will be truly affected. These effects may not be permanent, just like in the 2008 crash.

One thing that is different is striking. Rent strikes, strikes where tenants of a building refuse to pay rent, have come about. These tenants are usually living in high-cost cities and have been abruptly fired from their jobs because of Covid-19, with no way to pay rent. Landlords and tenants are now at odds, with tenants having no way to pay for a place to live in the midst of an epidemic. Many cities have issued no-eviction notices, where landlords cannot evict tenants, but to many that is not enough. Tenants would then be in debt to their landlords.

Other strikes have also occurred. In fact, The Cut compiled a list of every strike currently happening due to Covid-19. Among them are huge corporations like Walmart, Amazon, and McDonald’s. These strikes are all happening at the same time, and it is important to make note of it. The strikers protest because the sanitizing of their factories isn’t accurate. Some are not being given proper protections in the midst of an epidemic. It stands to be seen if these strikes will succeed, or their effects will be permanent, but successes have already started. Amazon is now under investigation, and Instacart is to provide safety kits.

Takeaway

There are many effects of Covid-19 that we’ve seen, and man we have yet to see, but it is important to fact check. The environmental effects of Covid-19 are temporary and climate change will not be so easily in defeat. Businesses are predicted to most likely bounce back, but support small businesses as much as you can. Strikes are ongoing, and results are to be seen, but consider where you shop nonetheless. More than anything, it is a scary time, and false information festers when people are scared.

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About the Contributor
Sara Attia, Reporter
Sara Attia is a 17-year-old senior at Colonia High School. Sara has two lovely parents and five siblings. She is an avid reader of anything from Young Adult fiction to Shakespeare. Her favorite books are A Separate Peace, If We Were Villains, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Attia enjoys movies, and can spend hours watching them, no matter the genre or level of quality. She recently got a camcorder and is currently attempting to learn about film making. Attia is involved in stage crew for the Colonia High School musical & play. She has a deep love for everything relating to the 1980s- fashion, music, and all. Her favorite subject is English, and she loves to write. Attia has one bird who has lived long beyond his lifespan, and she loves him. She plans to one day pursue a career in English.

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The student news site of Colonia High School
Covid-19’s Effects: Are they Permanent?