The world is in the midst of an ongoing pandemic that has affected just about every walk of life. Around the globe, hundreds of thousands have died thanks to the virus, and many more have suffered from it. Most countries have introduced lockdowns of some kind and other restrictive measures to curb the spread of the virus and keep the number of infections and deaths as low as possible. Economies have been brought to a standstill, millions of jobs have been lost and governments have spent billions supporting people who have lost their income through no fault o their own.
Here’s a look at how the lockdown has an impact on some of the biggest industries.
Movies & TV
Thanks to the lockdown, loads of movies and TV shows that were in the process of being filmed have had to have their production shut down, with no idea as to when it will resume. Some shows, such as live news and entertainment programmes, have been able to continue airing, albeit with social distancing measures in place. It’s been mentioned that when the lockdown’s lifted, filming will be able to resume, but for a while, social distancing may still be in place.
This begs the question of how movies and TV shows can be filmed with actors/presenters and the like sic feet apart at all times. For most of them, this isn’t feasible. It will take a while before new content can be filmed properly, but in the meantime, there are box sets and streaming services to occupy people at home. The lockdown’s also shuttered cinemas, delayed the release of many summer blockbusters and even affected prestigious award ceremonies. The Oscars, for example, may have to be delayed next year because there aren’t enough films getting released because of the lockdown.
Travel
Perhaps the industry that’s been the most seriously affected by the lockdown is the travel industry. With most of the world under some form of quarantine, the number of people travelling internationally has plummeted and reached rock bottom. Even domestic travel has practically ceased altogether, with people staying at home and encouraged not to leave their home town or city unless absolutely necessary.
Companies big and small throughout the whole industry are being affected.
-
Some airlines have already gone bust, and many others are predicted to do so in the near future.
-
Cruises have stopped, and it’s uncertain when they’ll be able to resume. With ships such as the Diamond Princess suffering outbreaks, people may be put off cruising, and it may take a long while for cruise numbers to get back to what they were before the pandemic.
-
Resort destinations that rely on tourists for income are suffering.
There’s no tourist trade right now and there’s a good chance that by the summer months, which are usually the busiest, many smaller businesses such as local restaurants, shops, hotels and the like will no longer be operational.
Sports
With social distancing measures in place, most major sports are simply unable to take place. Countless matches, competitions and tournaments all across the globe haven’t been able to go ahead and have been delayed until an unknown date or cancelled outright. Sports clubs have lost millions simply because of games and events not happening. It’s been determined that the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games can’t go ahead this summer because of the health and safety risks involved. Plus, no one knows what restrictions will still be in place by the summer and how prevalent the virus will still be. As such, the Olympics have been postponed to next year at a cost of hundreds of millions of pounds.
Many people enjoy placing bets on sports. Since there aren’t any major races, matches or events of any kind happening, the online sports betting industry has suffered greatly as well. However, there’s some relief for online betting sites, and that’s the fact that most of them offer casino games that are just as popular as ever before, if not more so. With millions stuck at home, more and more people are trying out free online slots and even spending real money gambling, hoping for a win.
Education
Another huge industry that’s been severely affected by the lockdown is education. Schools throughout the world have been partially or fully closed for weeks, if not months. Those that have been able to reopen have had to operate with strict measures in place. Even though young children are at low risk of suffering COVID-19 side-effects or dying from the virus, they can still pass it on to others. Millions of parents have to homeschool their children, and some don’t even want their children to return to school as they think there’s too much of a risk in sending them back.
As for universities, they’ve mostly switched to online teaching. Campuses, halls of residence and other types of accommodation have all but closed, and it’s unclear when they’ll be able to reopen. The 2020-21 academic season may be seriously affected as there’s a good chance university admissions will drop, with so many people unemployed and people not wanting to pay so much money for a course that could well be taught entirely online. Then there are exams. Many students and pupils who have been preparing for various exams have been told they’re simply not going ahead this year and that a combination of existing grades and teacher predictions will be used to determine their final grades instead.
What Next?
COVID-19’s impact on the world has been huge and lasting. It’s not just the virus itself that’s caused knock-on effects in all sorts of industries, it’s also lockdowns and other types of preventative measures put in place by world governments. The good news for now, at least, is that these restrictions are gradually starting to be lifted in some places. Small steps are being made, though it’s probably going to take a long time before things get back to normal and industries are able to recover.
