The COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic has left the world as we know it in a state of deep turmoil. Businesses are affected adversely everywhere and the effect is serious. People have isolated themselves completely. In such a tumultuous situation, we only have our phones, PCs, laptops to stay connected with the outside world; and as such, it is imperative a lot of panic-based and false news might also circulate causing untoward frenzy and getting people unnerved. Here are some things you can do to ensure no panic and unwarranted/false information is not circulated around you.
Verify the Source of Information Coming to You
As we all know, WhatsApp University is the most dangerous source of misinformation. More often than not, unverified and false news is circulated in groups and spreads faster than the Australian bushfire. FACTLY and BOOM keep a tab on false news and alert people. During these perilous times, it is very important to know that forwarding one message in 5 groups will not grant a kid $5 for every 100 forwards.
This lockdown is also the golden period for scammers and fake businessmen to thrive. Beware of all the “Earn Money From Home – No Investment Needed” and “I have a great business proposal for you” emails and texts. It is far more probable that they are big-time scams asking you to pay upfront in order to continue working and then never contacting you ever again.
Make Contingency Plans on to Get Back in Business
This pandemic has created global unrest and has affected economies everywhere, with the business sector getting the worst beating. Barring essential things like food, grocery, and medicines, almost all other shops are facing a tremendous lack of customers. However, this is a temporary phase and once people are free to go out, there is a surety of more orders and people visiting other shops.
Ensure your supply chains are not disrupted in this process. Getting more than one distributor on-board may turn out to be a good strategy. This applies to both sides of the distribution – the ones to take supplies and the ones who are the suppliers.
Keep Yourself Busy During the Isolation
As the saying goes, “An empty mind is the Devil’s workshop”, doing nothing all day will get into your head. Keeping yourself busy during isolation is a sure-shot way of not panicking and also not becoming the cause of it. There is a wide range of things that you can do during the lockdown, closed by the walls; from binge-watching your favorite TV series to spending hours playing various games. Or, you can always visit our channels to check out our informative blogs, and other useful online activities to explore new waters.
Here are a few links to try out:
- The DBohra Blog is excellent to find out business ideas and teeny tiny solutions to tinier problems in day-to-day business life
- For budding business folk, the DBohra Educational Series is an excellent way to make things smoother
- DBohra Webinars are another amazing platforms to find out the latest trends and have your queries solved
Keeping the mind busy is a great way to keep panic aside.
Trust and Subscribe to Government of International Organisations
The World Health Organization is constantly in touch with governments around the world, collecting data and publishing it for people to know. Also, for regular updates from WHO, you can add this number +41798931892 to your contacts and send a hi on WhatsApp.
For the Twitterati amongst us, Verified profiles have a blue tick. You can follow your local leaders and authorities for local updates and plans of action. Also, just a little bit of digging leads to the verified truth behind every ‘update’. Stay informed, not misinformed.
Stay Safe, Stay Home
At this point in time, the only thing that remains to be said is, “Stay Indoors and Stay Safe.” May God guide us through these tough times towards a triumph over this illness.
