The global COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted world economies and international travel relations, leaving thousands of people practising self-isolation and social distancing. Amidst all the uncertainty, a number of industries have turned the worldwide disaster into a time of unprecedented growth.
Here’s a quick look at three industries benefiting from the coronavirus outbreak:
1. Robots and Drones
Since emerging in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, the coronavirus has spread around the world. As the outbreak grew, so did public questions and concerns. To help address those fears and resolve the crisis, public safety officials have explored new technologies — like drones and robots.
Drones can dramatically improve how countries attempt to kill the virus in public areas: They can cover far more ground than traditional methods while reducing risk to workers who would otherwise spend more time potentially exposed to both the virus and the disinfectant.
As for Robots, they have been used to replace unnecessary human interactions when it comes to providing services and care to people in quarantine – self-imposed or otherwise. These robots deliver all sorts of items from food and medication to household essentials. They can also act as a barrier between doctors and patients.
2. Content Streaming Services
Governments around the globe have urged people to practice social distancing and when possible, to stay indoors in order to curb the spread. This means that people have been looking for ways to keep themselves connected and entertained despite living in isolation.
Since then, content streaming services like Netflix, YouTube and Disney+ have seen a major uptake in subscriptions. According to Forbes, these services are highly likely to benefit from such a crisis because they are viewed as a “stay-at-home stock, that could see traction, particularly internationally, as more people are confined to their homes, eschewing more public forms of entertainment”.
Piggybacking off of online streaming, “advertisers are already moving money from traditional TV to streaming, and the coronavirus outbreak will likely accelerate that, based on conversations with ad agency executives,” reports DigiDay.
3. Cybersecurity
Follow IT News Africa on Twitter