A Post-Covid World: What Will it Look Like?

Imagine! The world as we know changed after 9-11. There were more security checks, less liquids allowed, electronics/devices examined carefully, strip-down to bear essentials before boarding an aircraft. That was 20 years ago. Since then we had SARS, MERS and a host of other minor irritants. But nothing close to a global pandemic like Covid-19.

What are the consequences?

We are grappling with several measures on three broad fronts – quality of health care, standard of governance and social capital. Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Minister wowed the world with his views on Covid-19 measures adopted by Singapore (that was on CNBC).

Quality of healthcare takes years of investment on people, facilities and processes. And Covid-19 exposed our vulnerability. Test kits, hospital beds, ventilators, masks, sanitisers, basic hygiene have all come to the fore, whether it is in China, U.S. or Malaysia. Trained doctors, ample researchers in an infectious disease control facility, good operating procedures and decisive decisions based on facts have helped contain/mitigate the disease. China is a prime example. The U.S. under Trump was in denial until very recently. Malaysia needs an infectious disease research centre. We have the IMR, maybe it could form the base? But more needs to be done on virus research by universities and hospitals. Then our focus on STEM has to be translated into cluster research centres by public/private entities so that the lag time for new vaccines is reduced from 18 months to 3 months. All the other equipment and supplies could be fulfilled if adequate planning is in place.

The standard of governance may include: effective laws, processes, management approaches, transparency, integrity responsiveness, efficiency and effectiveness. All of them presumes politics does not interfere. Not like the recent chief ministers meeting with the PM. Five states were left out because they were no longer part of the ruling coalition. Surely the Chief Secretary should resign if it is his fault – not issue an admission and tender a lukewarm apology.

The social capital window may reflect as follows:

Source: https://jemmuldoon.blogspot.com

The social capital window, also called social discipline window, categories social norms and behavioural expectations into four types of environment. Support and control reflect the impact of the different types of leadership.

And a crucial function of social capital is its deployment of trust. A (global) community working together to decide the best option or action for an event. Trust promotes sharing of ideas, intellectual property, resources for the greater good. And so there is hope for humanity when we come together to understand the issues and what works best in another environment. Had China delayed further releasing data and its actions over Covid-19, many nations would be in a worse-off situation. What it means is that we need to be transparent, collaborative, cooperative, and responsible in facing situations way above our capacity. May we learn to work together for the benefit of all!