How technology can help tide over Coronavirus crisis
As Coronavirus forces people into voluntary isolation, here’s how technology can help you personally and professionally:
Mucking around with coronavirus is playing with fire. The fact there are community transmissions not dependent on contact with incoming travellers means many people will want to voluntarily isolate themselves and their families. Others who show flu-like symptoms will have to quarantine.
There are big personal and professional challenges to isolating. If you live alone, you’ll have to deal with the physical isolation, the spectre of uncertainty, and disconnect from not being with people. If you have a family, the challenge will be more to keep everyone calm and occupied.
If you run a business, now is the time to set up a communication system (preferably video based) so that your business can operate as best it can with staff in their homes.
With no vaccine in sight, we individually will be playing hide and seek with COVID-19 for months. So how can technology help you personally and professionally during this time?
Home internet
Along with your phone, TV and radio, your home internet will be the key to communication and will help alleviate feelings of isolation.
If your internet isn’t working properly, contact your service provider now and get it sorted. Buy a Wi-Fi extender to get rid of Wi-Fi black spots, or install a new Wi-Fi mesh network such as a Netgear Orbi or Linksys Velop.
If your NBN is a nut case, buy a mobile router that connects to 4G directly and some gigabytes for a couple of months. Vodafone for example offers 25GB of mobile data for about $32 per month. You don’t need a plan. Have a tech-savvy family member, neighbour or workmate help knock your home internet into shape if you can’t do it yourself.
Social media
The mix of social isolation and uncertainty could drive you nuts. Social media — Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the like — will help keep you connected to the outside world, but be wary of false news and gossip, especially regarding the virus. This week, more than 40 people died in Iran from alcohol poisoning after hearing that it would cure or prevent the virus. By all means read widely about coronavirus but act only on information from your doctor and official health sources.
Set up a means of contacting family and friends by video, not just audio. Video communications offer a better emotional connection. There’s Skype, Facebook Messenger, Google Duo, Apple FaceTime, WhatsApp, Line, WeChat and more.
Use whatever services your family and friends use. I have a Facebook Portal TV connected by HDMI to my lounge television. I can make a cuppa, sit on my sofa, and chat to friends for hours. They appear big on the TV in high resolution. I use Facebook Messenger only because nearly all my family and friends use it.
Work communications
If your businesses can operate with staff at home, put together a conferencing system.
You can get everyone together on a phone conference call each day, or better still, with video conferencing. Businesses can set-up large video meetings, and share a whiteboard or the contents of a computer such as a powerpoint presentation, and staff can video each other to collaborate.
GoToMeeting, Cisco WebEx, Skype Business and Zoom are options. These don’t have to be expensive. The free version of Zoom lets a business host up to 100 participants and hold unlimited one to one meetings.
If you run a business, test a teleconferencing network with staff now before any isolation. If you’re an employee, suggest the idea to your team leader. Staff need to be aware of a workplace’s policy about being in the office if they have flu-like symptoms.
Working from home
For some, working from home is nirvana. You don’t need to commute, dress formally and you can pat the dog during the day. You can concentrate for long periods without talkative workmates interrupting you. But you could be interrupted by talkative housemates. It’s best to have a separate work area which not only is peaceful, but draws a distinct line between your home and work environments.
Have the computer hardware and software you need. Check whether you can run your work’s specialist software at home. Services such as Amazon Workspaces offer secure remote access to workplace software.
If you’re in a team, you and your colleagues can collaborate on projects via software. Slack, Microsoft Teams and Quip are among options. There’s the usual chat services. Your colleagues might share cloud storage. You’ll need access to that. This all should be sorted now. Not collaborating and being a lone ranger is not the way to go.
Keep busy and fit
You might be the busiest person in the world, but can fall into a heap when confronted when endless days of seemingly doing nothing at home.
If you must isolate, structure your life. Get up, get dressed and have breakfast as you would normally. If you can exercise outside, go for a walk but keep away from people and don’t touch anything.
If you are in quarantine, check whether any outdoor exercise is allowed. If you can’t get out into the street, there are fitness apps to keep you toned indoors in front of the tele. Sweat, Centr, Streaks Workout and Keep it Cleaner are among Australian Apple device fitness apps you can screen on your TV with Apple TV. You can beam Android fitness apps to your TV using a Google Chromecast linked to your TV.
If you have spare cash, you can take part in virtual cycling races with others from across the world by rigging up an old bike to your TV using a turbo trainer such as Wahoo Kickr. You can enrol in a virtual cycling racing app such as Zwift for group training sessions and races.
Pick out some movies on TV and streaming services, make some popcorn and host movie nights with your family at home. Try some online video games for entertainment during down times and at night. Again, competing against others in online games offers connectedness to outside.
Groceries, takeaways
If you haven’t used online grocery delivery services before, get acquainted with Woolworths and Coles grocery delivery services. Aldi operates home delivery too. If you think you could have coronavirus, let these services know so that the delivery person can leave food outside your door.
The same applies if you order food from the local pizza shop, Uber Eats and other vendors. Consider setting up a dedicated Facebook private group or WhatsApp group with neighbours so that you can share local news and order online food at the same time. You can reduce or eliminate delivery fees.
Telehealth options
Contact your GP and find out if remote consultation services will be available during the coronavirus pandemic. Some doctors might be prepared to consult over video and the internet, saving you fronting a doctor’s waiting room and the fear you could get sick by visiting there.
There are also telemedicine clinics. Know what your options are. Know here the nearest virus testing centre is ahead of when you might ever need it. You should initially contact your GP if you think you have the virus.
Keep in touch with bulletins from the World Health Organisation, and state government health department websites which carry health alerts.
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