This new outbreak, initially identified in China, is continuing to grow more and more than after it was first detected in December. 2019.

The World Health Organization says “the pandemic is accelerating”

The main uncertainty in the coronavirus outbreak is how big it will get or how fast it can be stopped.

According to infectious disease epidemiologist, it’s “plausible” that more adults will be infected with Covid-19 disease than expected.

COVID -19 is closely monitored and cases are being reported in a growing number of countries internationally, including the United States.

Although there are on-going investigations about this pandemic, there are lots of lessons we can all learn.

Let us take a look at few of these lessons below:

Lesson 1: Your health is your responsibility

The speed at which the outbreak plays out matters hugely for its consequences.

What epidemiologists fear most is the health care system becoming overwhelmed by a sudden explosion of illness that requires more people to be hospitalized than it can handle.

In that scenario, more people will die because there won’t be enough hospital beds or ventilators to keep them alive.

A disastrous flood of hospitals can likely be averted with protective measures.

We’re now seeing more of closing schools, canceling mass gatherings, working from home, self-quarantine, self-isolation, avoiding crowds, all to keep the virus from spreading fast.

This strategy of prevention is what expert usually refer to as “flattening the curve,”

General hygiene is always important. Not just when there is a virus.

You should know the drill by now. Wet your hands. Lather them with soap. Scrub for 20 seconds. Rinse off. Dry with a clean towel.

It really is the best way to keep safe, because soap is a very effective way to kill viruses.

Don’t wait to be sick before you start treating yourself. Prevention they say is better than cure.

 Lesson 2: Working from home is possible

During this time many people have learned that their jobs were possible to do from home.

Once the virus outbreak ends, it might be worth having a chat with your boss about working from home possibilities when necessary.

Most jobs have certain amount of work that can be done remotely.

Without the virus in place, there should still be some system in place that will promote work-life balance.

There are many more jobs that can be done from home.

More people are losing their jobs and many more companies are shutting down.

Where would the married man get money to put food on the table?

How can the young lady take care of the old man in the village?

It is no secret that a recession is already here.

But thanks to the internet and technologies like email, search engines, video streaming, youtube, webinars, social media and the likes. You can now do business wherever you are, without ever leaving your home.

We should all learn something from COVID 19.

Institutions must be digitalized and more businesses must be brought online. So that young men and women in their 20’s and 30’s can find something useful doing right from home.

If you are a young graduate looking for job, I suggest you read this: Don’t Wait For Job! Solve Problems!

Lesson 3: Learning from home is possible

Most schools around the world have closed their doors and there’s no timetable for when they might re-open.

Parents, who may need to work and juggle childcare, will now have to fill the gap.

Have you ever wondered why many great minds never completed college?

Think of Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and the likes.

Where do you think they got the knowledge that made them great?

Ofcourse from home.

Thomas Edison once said, ’’I was a dump but my mother turned me into an inventor’’

Gandhi said it this way, ‘There is no school equal to a decent home and no teacher equal to a virtuous parent’’.

As a parent, it is important for you to know that you are your child’s best teacher and teaching can be done right from home.

Charlotte Mason said ‘Self-education is the only possible education; the rest is mere veneer laid on the surface of a child’s nature’.

Raymond S. Moore added ‘Recipe for genius: More of family and less of school, more of parents and less of peers, more creative freedom and less formal lessons’.

Do not discourage your kids by making them waste the best years of their lives preparing for examinations. 

But rather educate them to be prepared for life.

For more practical steps on how to homeschool your child, I suggest you read this: How Do I Start Homeschooling My Kids?

Lesson 4: It is possible to Worship from home

As health and government officials encourage people to stay home during the coronavirus pandemic, churches and other religious organizations are offering new forms of worship.

This approach came after the laid out guidelines encouraging social distancing.

The approach has impacted religion in various ways, including the cancellation of the worship services of various faiths, the closure of Sunday Schools, as well as the cancellation of pilgrimages surrounding observances and festivals.

Many churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples have now changed their way of worship.

Believers of many religions have combine to pray for an end to the COVID-19 pandemic, for those affected by it, as well as for God to give physicians and scientists the wisdom to combat the disease.

In the United States for example, President Donald Trump designated 15 March 2020 as a National Day of Prayer for Americans to seek God’s help amidst the pandemic.

In Ghana as well, President Nana Akufo Addo has declared 25 March 2020 as a National Day of Fasting and Prayer for Ghanaians to seek God’s help.

The point is this: Religion is very important in nation building but it must not be confined only to the four corner walls of a building.

With this pandemic, some religious bodies have given out their order of services to members so they can start worshiping from home.

Others have use live streaming, social media and other online platforms and even apps to help members stay connected.

Before then, you can see people travelling all the way from one town to another. Sometimes from one region to another region all to attend a service.

Religion is a way of life.

It is a personal relationship between you and your maker.

Let us stop this business of turning religion into a building or a place of worship.

After all, COVID 19 has prove to us a point, that you can worship your maker from anywhere, even from home.

Lesson 5: Financial Planning Is a Must

COVID-19 is taking more than just a logistical toll on the world; it’s taking a financial toll as well.

Countless men and women all over the world are currently without a paycheck because they can’t go to work, whether that’s because their offices are closed or because their kids’ schools are suspended and they’re stuck at home with no childcare.

And to be clear, health officials have made it obvious that home is the best place to be right now, even if that means having to go without pay for a period of time.

But not everyone is financially equipped to miss a single paycheck, let alone several months’ worth of income.

The worry for many is how to manage financially now and in weeks ahead.

Many are struggling while trying to take care of kids, aged or disabled family members.

That is why a financial plan is important, especially in critical times like these.

A good financial plan will include an emergency fund and investment portfolio.

The emergency fund should have money tucked away enough to cover three to six months of living expenses while the investment portfolio should be untouched.

The idea for this is to help you to not only cover unplanned bills, but also to get you through a period of unemployment.

In this critical time, lots of people are learning this the hard way.

If you’ve just been laid off, you’re clearly not in a position to start building cash reserves.

On the other hand, if you’re still collecting your regular paycheck, take this time as an opportunity to pad your savings in the coming weeks.

We don’t know what COVID-19 will bring. But it’s clear that its economic impact won’t be short-lived.

And the best way to protect yourself and your love ones will be for you to have well planned financial portfolio.

Conclusion

We all can’t tell what the outcome of this pandemic will be.

But so far people all over the world are learning their lessons.

It was Tom Bodett who said ‘’in school, you’re taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you’re given a test that teaches you a lesson’’.

What lesson has novel coronavirus taught you?

Please leave a comment below and let us also learn from you?

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