The present is not an ideal time. I am sure you know why? A microscopic virus has brought the mighty humans down to their knees.

Yes, I am talking about the coronavirus. What transpired in a lab in the city of Wuhan in China Is not known? However, its consequences are pretty evident for the entire.

A new disease has come to the horizon called the COVID-19;

A disease that started small;

A disease that nobody took seriously enough;

A disease with a mortality rate of less than 2%;

Is the same disease that has taken the lives of over 300k people, with almost 5 million battling it and 7.5 billion people are suffering because of it.

The Pandemic

On 30th January 2020, the World Health Organisation had announced that we were facing a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, which is the definition of a pandemic.

The question that I want to put forward is why 3.5 months the pandemic has only grown with no signs of it waning anytime soon?

The people who have caught it are suffering the most, but the rest of us are suffering equally, if not health-wise, the financially.

The battle against the COVID-19 is not an easy one. It will probably drain us much more before giving us any kind of reprieve.

The Shut down Sectors

The virus is famous for its contagiousness. And that is why social distancing has been implemented by the people and the governments.

To make sure people are distancing socially, many countries have imposed a nationwide lockdown on sectors that are non-essential for survival.

In the UK, the lockdown has been in effect for the past eight weeks.

The sectors that are the most affected are;

• The Retail industry, especially malls;

 Not a single mall has been operational in the lockdown in the entire world. Since malls attract the most crowds, it was necessary.

• The Restaurants, Clubs and Bistros;

These are not as important for survival as a grocery store is. So, all of them are closed for business. The crowd in a club would spread the virus more quickly than a wildfire.

• The Entertainment Industry;

All over the world, not one movie has released ever since the pandemic announcement. The renowned Cannes Festival in France did not happen this year for the same reason.

• The Tourism Industry;

Be it flights, or hotels or the touristy sites. Everything has been shut down to curb the virus. You can Google the London Eye or the Times Square or even the Sydney Opera House; the words “temporarily closed” will greet you.

There are so many more businesses that have lost the ability to remain operational in the shutdown.

The Young Adults

In all the four sectors that I have mentioned above, do you see a commonality? If you look closely enough, I am sure you will find it.

Think of the people who work in these sectors, how did you find a similarity?

Majority of the employees in the areas, as mentioned earlier, are between the ages of 18 and 25.

The sales executives in shopping malls and supermarkets are all young adults.

The baristas, waiters and waitresses, bartenders and even the valets are young adults.

The people in the ticket counter at the cinema and the ones who take your popcorn orders are again young adults.

Then, the majority of the tour guides at historical places are young adults as well. I still remember the guide I got on my visit to Niagara Falls; she was an active 18-year-old waiting for the results of her college applications.

With the shutdown of the young adults' work platforms, many of them have become jobless. And their battle against the pandemic has become much more difficult.

The statistics for this age group are profoundly disturbing.

35% of women aged less than 25 are working in the shutdown sectors, for men of the same age, the figure stands at 25%.

This is the highest amongst all age groups leading to higher risk for unemployment.

Every third young adult has born an income loss in the pandemic. The monthly earnings have reduced by a substantial margin.

Every forth young adult has his name in his company’s books, but is not technically working, because there is no work.

Almost one-tenth of the young adults have lost their jobs because of the shutdown.

The Culmination

The imagery of the youth of our nations is heart-breaking. The youth is supposed to be our future. It is supposed to make us reach the successes; the present generation is unable to.

With them becoming the victims of the pandemic, is our future safe?

The government is trying its best to secure our future. It has set up a fund with billions of pounds, to assure the youth that their needs will be catered for. £2,500 will be credited into the accounts of the unemployed, and it good part is this fund would cover more than two-fifths of the workforce.

Quick loans for Unemployed are an alternative that can help people in such a crisis to fulfil their imminent needs immediately.

The pandemic has done one thing right; it has made us know the priorities in our lives. Our health and our livelihood have more importance than anything else.

Losing both will have devastating effects, and I do hope all of you do not ever have to face them.