The Domino Effect

No man is an island, they say. When COVID-19 hit last January, most people thought it was a problem that would isolate itself to China and its neighbors. It was only when several countries started reporting cases of COVID-19 that the local industries started to feel the blow.

Looking back, even when it was only China that had a majority of cases, most of the companies that deal with manufacturing in China felt the blow already. Friends of mine who work in a local furniture company told me that they had to cancel their trip to China and that their counterparts in China weren't even going to work.

Flash forward a few days and since Chinese tourists were no longer coming in, city hotels began to feel the effects of the virus. With more people becoming more wary of traveling in general, airlines, online booking agencies, resorts, airbnbs began to have an influx of inquiries to ask for refund for their prior bookings.

With less tourists in the city, local restaurants also saw a hit to their sales. Taxi operators also have a hard time keeping up as they would only be able to cater to locals. As the virus spread even more and the government started issuing warnings on going out into the public, malls, gyms, department stores are having a hard time these days. Then the gasoline stations also took a hit. This is something I seriously did not consider would be affected.

These days, I try to identify which industries would not be affected by COVID-19. I had pegged the petroleum industry to be untouchable as I couldn't see how less tourists would equate to a considerable drop in gas usage. I'm now eyeing FMCGs as an industry that isn't affected negatively in this scenario though I think I will be proven wrong as well. Pharmaceuticals will probably see a big win in this though I doubt it will be a sustained success on their part. I think there's one part of the equation I'm simply not seeing right now.

For now, I'm simply assuming no industry is safe. As such, we all should double down on the efforts that we as citizens can take. Handwashing, cough etiquette must be practiced strictly. And with the community quarantine rules being implemented everywhere, stay at home as much as possible. Leave only for the essentials - food, water, medical emergencies, etc.