Reader TTS

Our world is living through the Age of Coronavirus. We’re witnessing an astonishing amount of state intervention. Cities and countries being locked down to prevent the spread of the virus,

for instance. Closing borders, flights and ports of entry. Proposals to use billions of dollars in public funding to keep businesses afloat and protect laid-off workers. Waiving or

suspension of fees, including mortgage payments, utilities and property taxes. These measures are distasteful from an ideological standpoint. Alas, they’re completely understandable. But

will these temporary measures and other state-oriented policies become permanent? When the Age of Coronavirus is over, most governments won’t need to keep plucking from the public coffers.

The economic engines of western democracies have been stalled due to the spread of Covid-19. Some businesses are struggling, more employees are working remotely, non-essential items like

travel and tourism, restaurants, sports and entertainment have mostly closed down due to health and safety concerns, and so on. When these avenues and others return to a sense of normality,

this will gradually lead to a renewed vibrancy in our society with increased socialisation and spending patterns. Fewer people will need to rely on the state for survival, disposable income

will be more readily available, and the world economy will start to revitalise. Nevertheless, some industries could be forced to rely on government hand-outs for an extended period of time.

In particular, the airline industry seems a likely candidate. Flights are down more than 85 per cent worldwide, and tens of thousands of employees have been temporarily laid off by airlines.

Australia’s Centre for Aviation recently suggested that “by the end of May 2020, most airlines in the world will be bankrupt,” and that “coordinated government and industry action is needed

— now — if catastrophe is to be avoided”. Meanwhile, countries like China, Italy and Spain will come out of lockdown. Declarations of national emergencies will stop, and individual rights

and freedoms will quickly be restored in western democracies who cherish these important principles. Domestic and international borders and ports will be re-opened, too. However, there’s a

good chance that a stronger — and healthier — focus on border safety and security in most western democracies will be the result. The Canada-US border, for instance, has produced the

occasional bone of contention between these two nations. It’s currently closed for all non-essential travel due to Covid-19. That’s a logical move in the Age of Coronavirus. While

left-leaning Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will surely be chomping at the bit to return to his preferred near-open borders policy, it may not happen anytime soon. If Canada begins

to side with the US on stricter border controls, it wouldn’t necessarily mean the continued closure of the border, but could lead to a very different atmosphere dictated by security

requirements, safety issues, immigration laws and refugee claimants. The same scenario could also happen with the EU border. There are critics like the _Bloomberg Opinion_ columnist Lionel

Laurent, who wrote on March 20 that the “danger of unpicking the very fabric of the EU — free movement, frictionless trade, unity and solidarity — is being justified in the name of public

health”. He also pointed out that border controls have caused some difficulty with respect to the flow of food and medical supplies throughout Europe. These are fair comments. It’s against

everything in my DNA to support measures that enhance the state and erode individual rights and freedoms. At the same time, if people won’t stay at home (for the most part) and use social

distancing to help flatten the curve, the EU border has to be shut down as a temporary measure. A short-term reduction in travel times and tougher security measures are inconvenient for

border crossings, but it won’t greatly affect either free movement or trade. It also helps prevent the simultaneous spread of bad individuals and bad diseases. What other things could

potentially last on a long-term basis? There could be a valuable increase of e-learning for public and private schools as well as post-secondary institutions. High-end restaurants that

rejected the initial push to order food online through Uber Eats, Grubhub, Wolt, Oisix and DoorDash could realise it’s time to join this movement. More companies, including those in the

media, could begin to realise the personal and economic benefits of having employees who work remotely instead of in a high-cost office space. More medical appointments and initial

observations could be performed online instead of reading old magazines in the waiting room. Who knows — a push to a healthier work-life balance might even be achieved.