The COVID-19 Pandemic Caught the Entire World Unawares

The COVID-19 Pandemic Caught the Entire World Unawares
Introduction
"It is going to disappear. One day, it is like a miracle, it will disappear." These words were repeatedly uttered by the immediate former president of the U.S., Donald Trump, when COVID-19 began relentlessly ravaging the country. The US was one of the countries hit hard by the pandemic that broke out in December 2019 (Martinez-Perez et al., 2020). The pandemic spread at an alarming rate primarily due to its nature of being a contact disease. As such, it caused great panic and suffering among people all over the world. One of the fundamental problems that were a direct scion of the pandemic was the devastating economic and social interruptions. The problem inevitably contributed to a radical shift from the norm. This necessitated the need to look for solutions and return to normalcy.
Economic and Social Interruptions
The emergence of COVID-19 and its unprecedented spread saw respective governments instituting stringent measures to put it under check (Maison et al., 2021). Some of these measures included lockdowns, travel restrictions, and closure of public institutions, among others. As a result, numerous businesses either shut down completely or downsized the number of employees. This contributed to millions of people losing their livelihoods. On the other hand, some public institutions like schools shut down to forestall the rapid spread of the pandemic.
The disruptions are critical for several reasons. To begin with, the economic hardships attributed to the pandemic contributed to a sharp rise in crime and other social evils. For instance, research shows that there was a significant spike in domestic violence during lockdowns (Meyera et al., 2022). One can reasonably argue that the violence happened due to the inability to fulfill some critical responsibilities. This must inevitably have led to confrontations that degenerated into physical brawls in some instances. In addition, the loss of livelihoods caused untold mental anguish and trauma, contributing to the violence substantially.
Another important feature of the problem is that it hugely disrupted social activities. For instance, learning was rudely and abruptly cut short, and learners wasted a lot of time. Similarly, people could no longer attend their places of worship as well as entertainment spots. In addition, people could no longer meet freely with friends for fear of contracting the disease. This must have had a profound mental impact on many people.
First Solution (Easing Restrictions)
Respective governments continue to ease restrictions to allow free movement and reope...