It is rather unfortunate that Coronavirus, COVID-19 has affected so many activities and sectors since its outbreak in many countries across the world.
In China, where the virus started, it has affected over 80,000 people, with over 3,000 deaths recorded.
Many personalities have become a victim of COVID-19 as experts around the world make efforts to put an end to the deadly virus and make the world safe.
Coronavirus
The Economy: Number one on the chart of the activities and sectors that are being affected by the virus is the Economy sector.
China accounts for roughly 53% of the global steel production, being a major importer of iron ore as well as a major supplier and consumer of base metals.
Since the end of December 2019, metal prices have dropped noticeably, with copper prices (a leading indicator of gross domestic product (GDP) due to its widespread use in industry and construction) falling by about 9.6% between December 31st and January 31st.
The virus outbreak has also impacted trade and global supply chain dynamics following the restriction of people and goods amid an extension of the Chinese New Year holiday.
The uncertainty in China could also hamper global oil prices, as China accounted for half of the world’s oil demand growth in 2019.
China is the world’s largest importer of crude oil, consuming approximately 14 million barrels of crude oil a day, standing for 13 out of every 100 barrels of oil produced by the world.
Just a few weeks after the outbreak, the daily Chinese oil demand was already down 20% due to dwindling air travel, road transportation, and manufacturing.
In response to the shrinking demand impacting global oil producers, some manufacturers across the globe have been cutting back their oil production.
Aside from China, many other countries affected by the virus also have their economy suffering for it.
Transportation: As part of measures being put in place to stay safe from contracting the virus, people are advised to stay away from countries affected by the outbreak of coronavirus.
The virus is hitting hard on road, air, and water transportation as people are living in fear of going to countries or cities where the infection has been confirmed.
Therefore, the transportation sector is not excluded from suffering the negative impact of the outbreak of coronavirus.
Also, in China, transportation within and from the country has been impacted, further pressurizing copper prices.
As the coronavirus outbreak resulted in travel restrictions, the country’s demand for jet fuel reduced.
Sports: It is very glaring that football, like some other sporting activities, is a game of contact; hence, it might be almost impossible for players not to touch themselves while playing football or partaking in different sports activities.
Though some measures were announced to ensure that players and coaches are safe from been infected by the virus; Still, many players and coaches have been infected by the virus.
In Italy, the Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced the suspension until April 3 of all sporting events in the country, including the top-flight Serie A football league, as Italy grapples with the coronavirus crisis.
Earlier, Italy’s National Olympic Committee (CONI), which has authority over all national sports federations, had recommended sporting activities at all levels be suspended until April 3 to help contain the virus outbreak and called for a government decree to enforce the request.
On Monday, several Italian federations, such as those in swimming and winter sports, announced the end of competitive activities, joining rugby and volleyball, which had already been suspended.
Serie A is now frozen after 26 games out of 38 in the season, with eight-time reigning champions.
Education: In Italy, the unprecedented measures limiting travel and banning public gatherings across the country of more than 60 million people came after 97 more deaths.
Also, in some of the countries affected by the coronavirus, another measure been put in place include the closure of schools to safe students from contracting the virus.
Entertainment: Like sports, the Entertainment sector is another area that may suffer the heat of the outbreak of coronavirus as artists will be mindful of staging tours across the world.
Hopefully, experts will have a breakthrough in their efforts to get a long-lasting cure for people infected by the virus and find a means of containing its outbreak to put an end to how it has affected many activities and sectors, thereby taking toes on people’s means of livelihood.
However, while waiting for experts to come up with a cure for the virus, it is crucial to emphasize the place of personal and environmental hygiene as a way to stay safe.
