Considering that the international presence of COVID-19 affected almost every aspect of our lives, it’s no wonder so many of us are dealing with pandemic fatigue. Perhaps I should speak for myself. While it is a relief to have received my COVID-19 vaccinations, I’m still reticent about being part of large crowds at live performances, sporting events, special event celebrations or restaurants.

It appears the last days of COVID-19 may be on the horizon, but I have a feeling it will take some time to shake off what has been a constant state of anxiety. Even so, there are many. positive signs at this stage of the pandemic including the joy of seeing people’s smiles, giving and receiving hugs and reconnecting with friends and families in-person, after a year-plus of only speaking to them on the phone or via Zoom.

The pandemic has left us all a little shell-shocked. After all, few of us knew much about COVID-19 when it first hit. We recognized that it was a big enough deal to convince us to shelter in place or do whatever was necessary to avoid contracting or spreading the virus.

As COVID-19 found its way into new areas, everyone was forced to act with little, if any time, to prepare. From governments and businesses to hospitals and schools, to the entertainment and service industries, and everyone else in between, we had to figure out how we were going to operate efficiently and safely in a socially distanced world.

In this Q2 issue, Sarah Cerruti, who is the director of global customer transformation with ServiceMax, points out that utility companies, which are no strangers to taking immediate action when a natural or human-caused disaster hits, were faced with ensuring the health and safety of their customers and employees, as well as protecting their assets.

“The crisis challenged [utility] operators and service providers alike to find ways of stabilizing operations and keeping assets up and running,” Cerruti writes. She also points out that as difficult as they were, those challenges provided a catalyst for the industry to accelerate innovation and transformation.
Before the pandemic, some industries like the electric power sector had made progress with digital transformation to improve their business operations, manage data, automate processes and improve customer service and performance. Other sectors had just begun to embrace or even consider digitization.

Like everyone else, public libraries, which are some of the world’s most important “keepers and disseminators of information,” were caught off-guard by COVID-19. When they temporarily closed their doors last year, libraries were compelled to figure out quickly how to provide remote access to the information, books and reference materials that previously had been so accessible to in-person visitors. And while many libraries already had begun to digitize their various collections, the timeline shifted from “a good idea to implement sometime down the road,” to “we need to do this now!”

As the numbers of COVID-19 infections continue to decrease, and we slowly return to in-person socializing, working and learning, we may be fortunate enough to forget the sense of isolation so many of us experienced during the shutdown. We also may forget what it took to respond to the pandemic, but the fact that most of us have embraced or continue to adapt to the changes COVID forced us to make so rapidly, shows that despite the many obstacles and ensuing chaos the pandemic wrought upon us, and even though the road back to stability may be a bit bumpy, the human spirit has prevailed.

If you would like to contribute an article or if you have an idea about interesting technology, solutions, or suggestions, please email me at: Elisabeth@ElectricEnergyOnline.com

Elisabeth