As we emerge from the coronavirus pandemic, the world must invest in digital infrastructure as well as health care

The shift to online activities due to the pandemic has only amplified the digital divide

The gap between the haves and the have-nots will only increase unless the developing world is supported in boosting digital infrastructure

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Ce Geng (left) prepares to take an online class as her mother looks on in Alxa Left Banner, in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, on April 1. The nine-year-old’s parents drive her around their ranch to look for better Wi-fi when the weather is bad so she can attend classes online after schools shut due to Covid-19. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 9:00pm, 27 May 2020Updated: 10:21pm, 27 May 2020

With the force of a whirlwind, Covid-19 has visited its wrath on many countries, inflicting considerable damage – visible and invisible, physical and psychological.

While many governments around the world have started to ease restrictions put in place to flatten the curve of Covid-19 cases and contain the spread of the virus, millions of people are emerging from lockdown into a world that is much changed.

Jobs have been lost and loved ones are gone forever. Learning the right lessons should be a top priority so the international community can be better prepared the next time humankind is faced with a common enemy incarnated in a new pathogen.

Many people naturally yearn to get back to normal, but normal is not good enough for many citizens in developing economies. Our ambition must be to build a better post-crisis society.

A gravedigger rests at the Vila Formosa cemetery in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on May 18. The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a loss of both lives and livelihoods. Photo: EPA-EFE

The world economy was brought to a halt when the weakest legs on the chair gave way. Those broken parts are health care and digital infrastructure. Much has been written about health care systems and there are coordinated international efforts to provide grants and short-term low-interest loans to strengthen investments in health and pandemic preparedness.

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