Although since the beginning of the year the COVID- 19 Epidemic has caused a lot of panic around the world and has forced many countries to make some pretty serious changes, there is a bright side to this that we should try to focus on.

Positive Environmental Changes
With everyone focusing on the virus and staying inside in order to contain it, the amount of air pollution around the world has gone down. In the week of March 12, 2020, Madrid recorded a 14 percent decrease during traffic during rush hour. The Hubei province of China, the first area affected by COVID-19, had also seen major changes in their air quality just within a few weeks of quarantine. Politico.eu states “Marshall Burke, a researcher at Stanford University, calculated the improvements in air quality recorded in China may have saved the lives of 4,000 children under 5 years old and 73,000 adults over 70.” Claus Zehner from the European Space Agency also said that there has been a “decline in nitrogen dioxide emissions over the Valley in northern Italy”….. “We are confident that the reduction coincides with the lockdown.” And scientists at Columbia University reported a 5-10 percent drop in CO2 emissions in New York in the week of March 16.

Family Time And Health
Due to schools, offices, factories, and other public facilities closing people are spending more time at home. With everyday tasks and work to do, we often forget to spend time with family and friends. This time in quarantine has given people the perfect opportunity to do so and make these hard times a little more fun. In addition to spending more time with loved ones, people now have a lot of time to focus on making healthier choices. One of the most heard excuses people make while trying to start a new workout plan is “I don’t have time to workout”, with time off from school and work, this is not an excuse at the time being. Many health organizations are promoting free workouts and health plans for the public to use and improve their health. Even some workout apps that usually cost money to use are making workouts free due to COVID-19 and quarantine.

Advancement in Technology
With public places closing to contain infections, many schools have started online school. Even though schools have been using technology for a while, some students and teachers don’t completely know how to utilize it. This situation urges them to make the most out of technologies and use different online learning resources.

The COVID-19 virus has already put many lives in danger and this is going to be continuing for a while, but we should try to take in account the good things that are also happening due to this and try to make the most out of it while staying healthy.