Learning from the COVID-19 Pandemic: Implications on Education, Environment, and Lifestyle

COVID-19 is a highly contagious viral illness caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome SARSCoV-2. It has had a devastating effect on the world’s demographics with high morbidity and mortality worldwide. After the influenza pandemic of 1918, it has emerged as the most consequential global health crisis. After the first cases of this predominantly respiratory viral illness were first reported in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, in late December 2019, SARS-CoV- 2 rapidly disseminated across the world in a short span of time, compelling the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare it a global pandemic on March 11, 2020. The outbreak of COVID-19 has proven to be a worldwide unprecedented disaster. It has physically, psychologically, socially, and economically afflicted billions of people across the globe. Its transmission is significantly high. Serious postrecovery has been noticed in a large number of people. The virus is highly mutable and new and new strains are appearing, and many of them such as delta, BA1 and BA2 subvariants as well as their hybrids have been considered by the WHO as concerning. The virus has exhibited deleterious impacts on bodily systems other than the respiratory system (primary target) such as the brain, hematological system, liver, kidneys, endocrine system, etc. Right after its declaration as a pandemic by the WHO in March 2020, governments in various countries declared lockdowns to combat the spread of disease, causing major disruption to the lives of billions of people.

Besides the impact on health and healthcare systems, education was changed with the introduction of online and or hybrid systems to help students continue to learn. Though the pandemic has subsided now, the emergence of new variants continues and lifestyle changes such as online learning and work from home have continued.

Researchers who successfully mitigated the negative impact of social media and effectively used it for acceptance of medicinal or non-medicinal measures during pandemics by developing a realtime information sharing system and assembling a multidisciplinary team of experts to collect and analyze data from a variety of social media platforms across the global diaspora to better understand people’s perceptions and attitudes, as well as to spot early warning signs of error and correct them before they proliferate. They also emphasized the necessity of addressing people’s perceptions in order to increase awareness and education, so that social media may be used to promote public trust collaboration, and improved adherence to epidemic control measures. In totality the pandemic affected the environment and ecosystem as a whole positively due to a decrease in vehicles on roads and less movement of persons from one place to another. However, medical waste was increased and new measures were needed to handle it. People have had to change their habits in everyday life in order to live with the pandemic and protect themselves and others.

This volume focuses on the implications of COVID-19 on education, environment, and lifestyle. It includes chapters on the transformation of education systems and introduction of hybrid modes of education, impact on environment, management of solid wastes, and development of innovative gadgets and architectural designs to help deal with the pandemic. Other chapters cover diet, family systems, and adoption of new norms in pandemic times.

This book will be a valued resource for students, teachers, and researchers of social science and science as well as public health workers.

Ranbir Chander Sobti is a Former Education Consultant Governor of Bihar, Senior Scientist (Indian National Science Academy), Former Vice Chancellor, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow (UP) and Panjab University, Chandigarh. Professor Sobti is a Fellow of the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), National Academy of Sciences, Indian National Science Academy, National Academies of Medical Sciences and Agricultural Sciences and of the Canadian Academy of Cardiovascular Diseases and is associated with many other Academic Associations and Institutions in the domain of higher education and research. The litany of honours showered on him includes, among others, the INSA Young Scientist Medal (1978), UGC Career Research Award, Punjab Rattan Award, JC Bose Oration Award and the Life Time Achievement Award of the Punjab Academy of Sciences, Zoological Society of India, and the Environment Academy of India, besides many other medals & awards of various reputed National and International Organizations. He was bestowed with Padmashri award by the Government of India in 2009.

Vipin Sobti is an educationist with more than 40 years of teaching experience in psychology and child development both at undergraduate and post graduate levels. After completing her term as Principal, Government College Mohali, she was nominated as member of Education Tribunal, Punjab. She has published 4 books and a number of research papers. She has also guided a few students for the M.Sc. Degree in Child Development when she was teacher in the Home Science College, Chandigarh. She has attended and delivered talks in the conferences in India and abroad. She has travelled to UK, USA, Japan, Italy, Turkey, Singapore, Switzerland etc. and a number of other countries.

Aditi Sobti Senior Agile Project Manager is solution-oriented specialist with notable success in guiding cross functional teams, with a track record of meeting or exceeding corporate goals. She has demonstrated capacity to implement innovative web based and non-web based applications in support of departmental goals. She has outstanding leadership abilities, decisive and detail oriented; able to coordinate and direct all phases of project-based efforts while managing, motivating, and leading teams. She can adopt and develop effective policies and procedures, project documentation and milestones, and technical/business specifications.