City Lockdown Research Articles

Influence of population mobility on the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic: based on panel data from Hubei, China

BackgroundThe novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was first reported in Wuhan, China. The mass population mobility in China during the Spring Festival has been considered a driver to the transmission of COVID-19, but it still needs more empirical discussion.MethodsBased on the panel data from Hubei, China between January 6th and February 6th, 2020, a random effects model was used to estimate the impact of population mobility on the transmission of COVID-19. Stata version 12.0 was used, and p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsThe COVID-19 was more likely to be confirmed within 11–12 days after people moved from Wuhan to 16 other prefecture-level cities in Hubei Province, which suggests a period of 11–12 days from contact to being confirmed. The daily confirmed cases and daily increment in incidence in 16 prefecture-level cities show obvious declines 9–12 days post adaptation of city lockdown at the local level.ConclusionPopulation mobility is found to be a driver to the rapid transmission of COVID-19, and the lockdown intervention in local prefecture-level cities of Hubei Province has been an effective strategy to block the COVID-19 epidemic.

Significant changes in the chemical compositions and sources of PM2.5 in Wuhan since the city lockdown as COVID-19

Wuhan was the first city to adopt the lockdown measures to prevent COVID-19 spreading, which improved the air quality accordingly. This study investigated the variations in chemical compositions, source contributions, and regional transport of fine particles (PM2.5) during January 23–February 22 of 2020, compared with the same period in 2019. The average mass concentration of PM2.5 decreased from 72.9 μg m−3 (2019) to 45.9 μg m−3 (2020), by 27.0 μg m−3. It was predominantly contributed by the emission reduction (92.0%), retrieved from a random forest tree approach. The main chemical species of PM2.5 all decreased with the reductions ranging from 0.85 μg m−3 (chloride) to 9.86 μg m−3 (nitrate) (p < 0.01). Positive matrix factorization model indicated that the mass contributions of seven PM2.5 sources all decreased. However, their contribution percentages varied from −11.0% (industrial processes) to 8.70% (secondary inorganic aerosol). Source contributions of PM2.5 transported from potential geographical regions showed reductions with mean values ranging from 0.22 to 4.36 μg m−3. However, increased contributions of firework burning, secondary inorganic aerosol, road dust, and vehicle emissions from transboundary transport were observed. This study highlighted the complex and nonlinear response of chemical compositions and sources of PM2.5 to air pollution control measures, suggesting the importance of regional-joint control.

Applicability of time fractional derivative models for simulating the dynamics and mitigation scenarios of COVID-19.

Fractional calculus provides a promising tool for modeling fractional dynamics in computational biology, and this study tests the applicability of fractional-derivative equations (FDEs) for modeling the dynamics and mitigation scenarios of the novel coronavirus for the first time. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic radically impacts our lives, while the evolution dynamics of COVID-19 remain obscure. A time-dependent Susceptible, Exposed, Infectious, and Recovered (SEIR) model was proposed and applied to fit and then predict the time series of COVID-19 evolution observed over the last three months (up to 3/22/2020) in China. The model results revealed that 1) the transmission, infection and recovery dynamics follow the integral-order SEIR model with significant spatiotemporal variations in the recovery rate, likely due to the continuous improvement of screening techniques and public hospital systems, as well as full city lockdowns in China, and 2) the evolution of number of deaths follows the time FDE, likely due to the time memory in the death toll. The validated SEIR model was then applied to predict COVID-19 evolution in the United States, Italy, Japan, and South Korea. In addition, a time FDE model based on the random walk particle tracking scheme, analogous to a mixing-limited bimolecular reaction model, was developed to evaluate non-pharmaceutical strategies to mitigate COVID-19 spread. Preliminary tests using the FDE model showed that self-quarantine may not be as efficient as strict social distancing in slowing COVID-19 spread. Therefore, caution is needed when applying FDEs to model the coronavirus outbreak, since specific COVID-19 kinetics may not exhibit nonlocal behavior. Particularly, the spread of COVID-19 may be affected by the rapid improvement of health care systems which may remove the memory impact in COVID-19 dynamics (resulting in a short-tailed recovery curve), while the death toll and mitigation of COVID-19 can be captured by the time FDEs due to the nonlocal, memory impact in fatality and human activities.

Assessing the Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic Partial Lockdown of Cities on Access to Social Facilities

Social facility is very useful for societal interaction and cohesion. This study was based on review of literature to assess the effects of Novel Coronavirus 2019 Pandemic lockdown of cities on social facility. The study revealed that maternal mortality rate would increase, Christians and Muslims routine of worship as a group has been mileage, whiles people are not able to engage in active exercise to keep fit as a result of the lockdown of the cities. The paper recommend that Government and management of cities should provide mobile clinic for pregnant and patients at house to house. This will help to prevent unforeseen deaths of pregnant women and patients with underlining sickness. Keywords: Covid-19, Lockdown, Social Facility, Cities, GhanaDOI: 10.7176/DCS/10-6-03Publication date:June 30th 2020

Examining the Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown in Wuhan and Lombardy: A Psycholinguistic Analysis on Weibo and Twitter.

Many countries are taking strict quarantine policies to prevent the rapid spread of COVID-19 (Corona Virus Disease 2019) around the world, such as city lockdown. Cities in China and Italy were locked down in the early stage of the pandemic. The present study aims to examine and compare the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on individuals’ psychological states in China and Italy. We achieved the aim by (1) sampling Weibo users (geo-location = Wuhan, China) and Twitter users (geo-location = Lombardy, Italy); (2) fetching all the users’ published posts two weeks before and after the lockdown in each region (e.g., the lockdown date of Wuhan was 23 January 2020); (3) extracting the psycholinguistic features of these posts using the Simplified Chinese and Italian version of Language Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) dictionary; and (4) conducting Wilcoxon tests to examine the changes in the psycholinguistic characteristics of the posts before and after the lockdown in Wuhan and Lombardy, respectively. Results showed that individuals focused more on “home”, and expressed a higher level of cognitive process after a lockdown in both Wuhan and Lombardy. Meanwhile, the level of stress decreased, and the attention to leisure increased in Lombardy after the lockdown. The attention to group, religion, and emotions became more prevalent in Wuhan after the lockdown. Findings provide decision-makers timely evidence on public reactions and the impacts on psychological states in the COVID-19 context, and have implications for evidence-based mental health interventions in two countries.

Real-time estimation of the reproduction number of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in China in 2020 based on incidence data.

BackgroundSince the first appearance in Wuhan, China in December 2019, the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has posed serious threats to the public health in many Chinese places and overseas. It is essential to quantify the transmissibility on real-time basis for designing public health responses.MethodsWe estimated the time-varying reproduction numbers in China, Hubei province and Wuhan city by using the renewable equation determined by the serial interval (SI) of COVID-19. We compare the average reproduction numbers in different periods of time to explore the effectiveness of the public health control measures against the COVID-19 epidemic.ResultsWe estimated the reproduction numbers at 2.61 (95% CI: 2.47–2.75), 2.76 (95% CI: 2.54–2.95) and 2.71 (95% CI: 2.43–3.01) for China, Hubei province and Wuhan respectively. We found that the reproduction number largely dropped after the city lockdown. As of February 16, the three reproduction numbers further reduced to 0.98, 1.14 and 1.41 respectively.ConclusionsThe control of COVID-19 epidemic was effective in substantially reducing the disease transmissibility in terms of the reproduction number in China reduced to 0.98 as of February 16. At the same time, the reproduction number in Wuhan was probably still larger than 1, and thus the enhancement in the public health control was recommended to maintain.

Epidemiological Trends of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in China.

Background: The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic broke out in Wuhan, China, and it spread rapidly. Since January 23, 2020, China has launched a series of unusual and strict measures, including the lockdown of Wuhan city to contain this highly contagious disease. We collected the epidemiological data to analyze the trend of this epidemic in China.Methods: We closely tracked the Chinese and global official websites to collect the epidemiological information about COVID-19. The number of total and daily new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in China was presented to illustrate the trend of this epidemic.Results: On January 23, 2020, 835 confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported in China. On February 6, 2020, there were 31,211 cases. By February 20, 2020, the number reached as high as 75,993. Most cases were distributed in and around Wuhan, Hubei province. Since January 23, 2020, the number of daily new cases in China except Hubei province reached a peak of 890 on the eleventh day and then it declined to a low level of 34 within two full-length incubation periods (28 days), and the number of daily new cases in Hubei also started to decrease on the twelfth day, from 3,156 on February 4, 2020 to 955 on February 15, 2020.Conclusion: The COVID-19 epidemic has been primarily contained in China. The battle against this epidemic in China has provided valuable experiences for the rest of the world. Strict measures need to be taken as earlier as possible to prevent its spread.

Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic: An Opportunity Window to Implement Home-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation

The World Health Organization declared that the new coronavirus outbreak is a public health emergency of pandemic proportions. The outbreak has caused various governments to take protective measures such as lockdown of cities, travel bans, prohibition of group gatherings and public events, and social distancing. Many health and exercise training facilities were closed, as well as cardiac rehabilitation services. These restrictions are disrupting people’s daily activities. Although staying at home can contain virus spread, it will certainly reduce regular physical [...]

Characterization of the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of uncertainties, mitigation strategies, and underreporting of cases in South Korea, Italy, and Brazil.

By April 7th, 2020, the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has infected one and a half million people worldwide, accounting for over 80 thousand of deaths in 209 countries and territories around the world. The new and fast dynamics of the pandemic are challenging the health systems of different countries. In the absence of vaccines or effective treatments, mitigation policies, such as social isolation and lock-down of cities, have been adopted, but the results vary among different countries. Some countries were able to control the disease at the moment, as is the case of South Korea. Others, like Italy, are now experiencing the peak of the pandemic. Finally, countries with emerging economies and social issues, like Brazil, are in the initial phase of the pandemic. In this work, we use mathematical models with time-dependent coefficients, techniques of inverse and forward uncertainty quantification, and sensitivity analysis to characterize essential aspects of the COVID-19 in the three countries mentioned above. The model parameters estimated for South Korea revealed effective social distancing and isolation policies, border control, and a high number in the percentage of reported cases. In contrast, underreporting of cases was estimated to be very high in Brazil and Italy. In addition, the model estimated a poor isolation policy at the moment in Brazil, with a reduction of contact around 40%, whereas Italy and South Korea estimated numbers for contact reduction are at 75% and 90%, respectively. This characterization of the COVID-19, in these different countries under different scenarios and phases of the pandemic, supports the importance of mitigation policies, such as social distancing. In addition, it raises serious concerns for socially and economically fragile countries, where underreporting poses additional challenges to the management of the COVID-19 pandemic by significantly increasing the uncertainties regarding its dynamics.

Impacts of social and economic factors on the transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China

This study models local and cross-city transmissions of the novel coronavirus in China between January 19 and February 29, 2020. We examine the role of various socioeconomic mediating factors, including public health measures that encourage social distancing in local communities. Weather characteristics 2 weeks prior are used as instrumental variables for causal inference. Stringent quarantines, city lockdowns, and local public health measures imposed in late January significantly decreased the virus transmission rate. The virus spread was contained by the middle of February. Population outflow from the outbreak source region posed a higher risk to the destination regions than other factors, including geographic proximity and similarity in economic conditions. We quantify the effects of different public health measures in reducing the number of infections through counterfactual analyses. Over 1.4 million infections and 56,000 deaths may have been avoided as a result of the national and provincial public health measures imposed in late January in China.

Adolescents' Motivations to Engage in Social Distancing During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Associations With Mental and Social Health

PurposeReducing the spread of infection during the COVID-19 pandemic prompted recommendations for individuals to socially distance. Little is known about the extent to which youth are socially distancing, what motivations underlie their social distancing, and how these motivations are connected with amount of social distancing, mental health, and social health. Using a large sample of adolescents from across the United States, this study examined adolescents' motivations for social distancing, their engagement in social distancing, and their mental and social health. MethodsData were collected on March 29th and 30th, 2020, two weeks after COVID-19 was declared a national emergency in the United States. The sample consisted of 683 adolescents recruited using social media. A series of multiple linear regressions examined unique associations among adolescents' motivations to engage in social distancing, perceived amount of social distancing, anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, burdensomeness, and belongingness. ResultsAlmost all respondents (98.1%) reported engaging in at least a little social distancing. The most commonly reported motivations for social distancing concerned social responsibility and not wanting others to get sick. Motivations concerning state or city lockdowns, parental rules, and social responsibility were associated with greater social distancing, whereas motivations concerning no alternatives were associated with less social distancing. Specific motivations for social distancing were differentially associated with adolescents' anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, burdensomeness, and belongingness. ConclusionsUnderstanding adolescents' motivations to engage in social distancing may inform strategies to increase social distancing engagement, reduce pathogen transmission, and identify individual differences in mental and social health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Review on government action plans to reduce energy consumption in buildings amid COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.

The corona virus pandemic outbreak in 2019–2020 has almost touched everyone’s life and is affecting every sector. The daily routine life has come to a standstill, many sector including businesses, finance, transport and many more critical industries has come to a halt. Only essential sectors like healthcare have been permitted to operate. Many G20 countries-imposed curfew, mandatory stay-in-home orders and lockdown of cities and countries. Among all these close down scenarios and locked down industries, utility companies and energy distribution sector were operational 24/7 round the clock providing uninterrupted power supply for a comfortable lockdown “stay in home”. The success of Fighting COVID-19 and shutdowns is highly dependent upon uninterrupted power supply and power consumption by the building residents. This paper reviews the various actions taken by G20 member countries towards electricity consumption while in COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. This research work is an analysis of actions taken by governments under their jurisdictions towards building energy consumers. The outcome of this paper are energy policy recommendations that are based on the different governments responses and actions taken towards energy consumption in buildings.

COVID-19 Outbreak and Stock Prices: Evidence from China

This paper examines how Chinese stock markets react to the outbreak of COVID-19 in a window of fifty trading days, from January 20, 2020 to April 7, 2020. The results show that the coronavirus leads to big moves in stock prices. Stock prices fall sharply along with the lockdown of Wuhan city, however, I find that stock returns reverse in every ten trading days throughout the window period. The overreaction, the policy response together with the interconnectedness of modern economy through global supply chains might contribute to the frequent reversals. However, firm size is one key factor resisting the return reversals. I also find that non-SOEs, firms with higher ownership concentration and non-pilot firms of securities margin trading suffer more following the coronavirus pandemic. In contrast, these findings do not exist for the SARS outbreak in China from 2002 to 2003. This study contributes to literature on the impact of public health emergencies on stock prices.

Stochastic and Deterministic Mathematical Modeling and Simulation to Evaluate the Novel COVID-19 Pandemic Control Measures

Background: In India, the novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) epidemic has grown to 17,00000 cases and around 38,000 deaths up to 30th July, 2020. The impacts of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic in India were studied using modified age-structured stochastic and deterministic mathematical models. Methods: A compartmental susceptible (S)-infected (symptomatic) (IS) infected (asymptomatic) (IN) recovered (R) i.e., SISINR model is developed, in which the flow of individuals through compartments is modeled using a set of differential equations. The outbreak of the novel COVID-19 pandemic is critically evaluated from all major angles using base, education, vaccination and education and vaccination models based on the modified SISINR transmission network model for their simulations in MATLAB and peak of infected cases (both symptomatic and asymptomatic cases) as well as end of pandemic is predicted in each case. Result: The numerical investigations are done for both stochastic and deterministic studies using the modified SISINR transmission network model for effective prediction about the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in India. The progress of the novel COVID-19 pandemic in India is estimated for various scenarios by varying the basic reproduction numbers from mean to extremes (general assumptions and strategies are inculcated through contact tracing based on the values of contact ratio operated for the basic reproduction numbers, 'R0'). The efficacy and potential of the education programs and vaccination programs were established with the published datasets through a validation studies. Furthermore, the outbreak of the novel COVID-19 pandemic is predicted for majorly affected cities in India on the basis of different reproduction numbers 'R0'. Conclusion: The report presented herewith could be referred to revise the government policies to (a) implement mitigatory measures such as the practice of social distancing, partial city lockdown across the nation, etc., (b) implement a 100% daily number of tests to the susceptible population of the nation, (c) improve hospital facilities and the novel COVID-19 wards, (d) improve the recovery rate with the effective implementation of base, education, vaccination and education and vaccination model to attain the equilibrium stage of pandemic at the earliest and (e) meet the objective of preventing the outbreak of the novel COVID-19 pandemic through the effective implementation of control and prevention strategies across the nation.

Efficacy of Mass Quarantine as Leverage of Health System Governance During COVID-19 Outbreak: A Mini Policy Review.

On January 23, 2020, the Chinese government announced the city lockdown of Wuhan. Since then, there have been controversial debates among experts about the efficacy of mass quarantine, the oldest and probably one of the most effective methods for controlling infectious disease outbreaks. The impact of health policymaking section of health system governance becomes visible to all stakeholders and the public in such emergency contexts. The success and failure of such policies should be evaluated in order to find the proper course of action for the local and international communities. In this review, we aim to investigate the efficacy of mass quarantine in China during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We found good quality evidence for the effectiveness of mass quarantine during the current stage of COVID-19 pandemic, and these strategies seem to have been highly effective in controlling the spread of the disease.

The Epidemiological Trends of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in China

Background: The epidemic of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) broke out in Wuhan, China, and spread rapidly. Since Jan 23, 2020, China launched a series of unusual and strict measures including lockdown of Wuhan city to put out this highly contagious disease. We collected the epidemiological data to analyze the trend of this epidemic in China. Methods: We had been closely tracking the Chinese and global official websites to collect the epidemiological information of COVID-19. The number of total and daily new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in China were presented to illustrate the trend of this epidemic. Findings: On January 23, 2020, 835 confirmed COVID-19 cases were reported in China. On February 6, there were 31211 cases. By February 20, the number reached as high as 75,993. Most cases were distributed in and around Wuhan, Hubei province. The number of daily new cases in China except Hubei province reached the peak of 890 on the eleventh day since January 23, and then declined to a low level of 34 within two full-length incubation periods (28 days), while the number of Hubei’s also started to decrease on the twelfth day since January 23, from 3156 on February 4 to 955 on February 15. The number of existing confirmed cases in China outside Hubei province started to decrease on February 11 and kept decreasing, while the number of Hubei started to decrease on February 18, and kept decreasing, too. Interpretation: The epidemic of COVID-19 has been primarily contained in China. The fight against this epidemic in China provided valuable experiences for the rest of the world. The strict measures need to be taken as earlier as possible to prevent its spreading. Funding Statement: This work was supported by the Project of Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant number 81873400], the Key Project of Jiangsu Commission of Health (K2019004), and “333 project” of Jiangsu Province (BRA2019339). Declaration of Interests: All authors declare no competing interests.

Transportation, Germs, Culture: A Dynamic Graph Model of COVID-19 Outbreak

Background: Various forms of model have been applied to predict the trend of the epidemic since the outbreak of COVID-19 at the hardest-hit city of Wuhan. Methods: In this study, we designed a dynamic graph model, not for precisely predicting the number of infected cases, but for a glance of the dynamics under a public epidemic emergency situation and of different contributing factors. Findings: We demonstrated the impact of asymptomatic transmission in this outbreak and showed the effectiveness of city lockdown to halt virus spread within a city. We further illustrated that sudden emergence of a large number of cases could overwhelm the city medical system, and external medical aids are critical to not only containing the further spread of the virus but also reducing fatality. Interpretation: Our model simulation showed that highly populated modern cities are particularly vulnerable and lessons learned in China could facilitate other countries to plan the proactive and decisive actions. We shall pay close attention to the asymptomatic transmission being suggested by rapidly accumulating evidence as dramatic changes in quarantine protocol are required to contain SARS-CoV-2 from spreading globally. Funding Statement: This study was supported by the National Science Foundation of China (grand NO. 61702406 31671372, 31701739, and 8191101420), the National Key R&D Program of China (grand NO. 2018YFC0910400, 2017YFC0907500), the National Science and Technology Major Project of China (grand NO. 2018ZX10302205), the “World-Class Universities and the Characteristic Development Guidance Funds for the Central Universities”, Thousand Talents Plan Professorship for Young Scholars (3111500001), Xi'an Jiaotong University Young Talent Support Program and Xi’an Jiaotong University Basic Research and Profession Grant (xtr022019003). Declaration of Interests: None.

Psychological Burden in Health Care Professionals in Chinese Cities During the Coronavirus&amp;nbsp;Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Outbreak

Background: We aimed to assess the psychological burden in healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 outbreak, particularly in locked-down Chinese cities, to provide evidence for exploring early preventive interventions. Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed, with an online questionnaire for data collection on the psychological distress, stress, and anxiety subscales of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21, and on social and environmental factors, particularly the influence of city lockdown, among healthcare professionals exposed to COVID-19, February 4–16, 2020. Findings: Data were collected from 636 medical professionals and 1929 college students. Psychological burden includes psychological distress (unpleasant feelings or emotions that impact normal activities of daily living), stress (physical, mental, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension), and anxiety (a feeling of apprehension and fear, characterized by physical symptoms such as palpitations, sweating, and feelings of stress), accounting for 36·48%, 13·36%, and 25·31%, respectively, among medical professionals. Medical staff with COVID-19 exposure were 2·04 times more likely to be anxious than non-exposed staffs (95% CI 1·14–3·63). The psychological distress of medical staff increased directly with the shortage of medical supplies (AOR=6·70; 95% CI 2·37–18·92). City lockdown was a critical factor that caused psychological burden. Interpretation: Healthcare professionals, especially those with exposure to COVID-19 in locked-down cities, were in a poor psychological state during the COVID-19 outbreak. Intervention and prevention programs that aim to address the psychological burden of healthcare professionals facing emerging infectious diseases are urgently needed. Funding Statement: This study was funded by the Shantou Science and Technology Project [2020] (number 6-5). Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics Approval Statement: The research content and process have been approved by the Institutional Review Board of Shantou University Medical College (Project No. SUMC2020-01). All interviewees provided written informed consent.

Impact of household quarantine on SARS-Cov-2 infection in mainland China: A mean-field modelling approach.

The novel coronavirus, named SARS-Cov-2, has raged in mainland China for more than three months, and it causes a huge threat to people's health and economic development. In order to curb the SARS-Cov-2 prevalence, the Chinese government enacted a series of containment strategies including household quarantine, traffic restriction, city lockdowns etc. Indeed, the pandemic has been effectively mitigated, but the global transmission is not still optimistic. Evaluating such control measures in detail plays an important role in limiting SARS-Cov-2 spread for public health decision and policymakers. In this paper, based on the cumulative numbers of confirmed cases and deaths of SARS-Cov-2 infection, from January 31st to March 31st, announced by the National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, we established a mean-field model, considering the substantial contact change under some restrictive measures, to study the dynamics of SARS-Cov-2 infection in mainland China. By the Metropolis-Hastings (M-H) algorithm of Markov Chain Monte Carlo numerical method, our model provided a good fitting to the overall trends of SARS-Cov-2 infections and discovers the transmission heterogeneities by some extreme containment strategies to some extent. The basic reproduction number was approximated to be 2.05 (95% CI [1.35,2.87]); the hospitalized cases arrived at the peak of 29766 (95% CI [29743,29868]) on February 7th (95% CI [Feb.6th, Feb.8th]). Importantly, we identified that the highest risk group of SARS-Cov-2 was the family of four, which has the biggest probability of degree distributions at such node, suggesting that contact patterns play an important role in curtailing the disease spread.

A Snapshot of Educational Research in 2020: Where Is the Rod of Asclepius for Education?

Without a doubt, 2020 is a peculiar year. The Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused people breakdown, school closure, city lockdown, healthcare systems scrambled. There is a global disruption in the education sector, and it seems like the education systems worldwide have to enforce educational reforms regardless of whether they have prepared. Many schools have to implement what they have planned for years within a few weeks due to the disease. Although this leads to uncountable and unimaginable challenges, one can still grab the opportunity to thrive, try new teaching and learning methods, and new ways of communication or new looks into educational institutions. Even though the pandemic is far from over and we were not yet able to find out the proper medical plan to secure our humanity from the “positive for COVID-19”, there are positive signals that we can find the Rod of Asclepius for educational concerns. As Gandhi said: “Adversity is the mother of progress”, we can see the quote imprinted in reality with amazing inventions from students, teachers, educators and valuable publications from scholars around the world, targeting a new normal state and probably a new future.