Essay on the coronavirus epidemic

The coronavirus epidemic has changed the landscape of economy. President trump statement of reopening America has become talk of the town now. In light of NPSE Code of Ethics canon 1 the statement of trump does not take into account the safety, health and welfare of public. He says that he would like to see packed churches on Easter and which has raised concern among public health experts and people are also rejecting this notion. Lockdown is in the best interest of people and it is only possible by cooperation of the people. There should be balance between saving the lives of people and saving the economy. Most of the Americans are against the idea of Reopening America. The situation is getting worse day by day and people are uncertain about their future. The trade-off will be getting high and economy will slowly go into recession process. The unemployment rate is also at its highest and people are losing their jobs. The balance between safety from Covid-19 and other financial threat is getting harder to maintain. It will be difficult to bring back people to normal life because of social distancing. According to experts the country needs a nation-wide stay-at-home policy till mid-May. In the coming weeks testing will be done of the people have fever or lives with someone who tests positive for Covid-19. Engineers should not make personal profit out of company’s property and shall give advice to their employers if they feel the project will not be successful and also keep them in the loop if they are working privately. Engineers should follow practises that works in the best interest of the company. There is a term called contact-tracing which means people who are in close proximity to someone who got infected. Contac tracing will be used to identify patients of Covid-19 and they will be quarantined and isolated. Also testing would be done on by testing samples on population level to alert the public of the location of potential Covid-19 cases. Mapping will be done of the areas affected with Covid-19. If people comply with the restrictions and remain in quarantine and maintain social distancing the there is hope of decline in cases in June. Necessary steps need to be taken to balance the trade-off of harms and benefits originated from Covid-19. If we take into account the Canon 3 of NSPE code of ethics then people should act in the best interest of their country and comply with restrictions imposed by the state. They should act as a responsible person to avoid getting themselves hit by the Covid-19 attack and prevent its spread. If there is any extra income from the same project, it should be disclosed, and gratuities should only be accepted from the employer for which they are working for. Engineers should avoid such actions for which they are not authorized by government and or their respective department. They should take measures to ensure that everybody remains safe. Wearing masks should be normalized and there should be distance of at least 3 feet between one person and the other. Also, businesses that can be operated online should move to the work from home policy. Engineers should be fair in their contracts and accept commission which they deserve. Engineers should give correct information about their qualification and respect each other’s work. Engineers should use proper channels for advertisement that do not harm company’s reputation. Engineers not harm each other’s reputation and respect each. People that are attached with jobs that require them to be on the field should be extra careful and take proper precautionary measures.

If the lockdown situation continues on for a longer period then there will be more concerning things besides Covid-19. Poorer people will be most affected by this as they will be starving to death and assistance package can not help for longer amount of time. Developing countries and underdeveloped countries do not have these kinds of resources to provide assistive packages to large amount of population. Underdeveloped countries also do not have infrastructure to tackle this kind of situation. Engineer should take permission before using company’s equipment for private purposes. Engineers should uphold their professional honour and avoid practises that can potentially damage the reputation of their client and company. Engineers should ensure transparency and merit in their work and totally avoid corruption. They should follow practises that are in line with company’s polices and regulations. Even rich countries are getting devastated by this pandemic. America has no power to control this pandemic and struggling to survive. Engineers should give proper information disclosure in whatever they do and be honest with their employees and clients. Engineers should strive for continuous professional development and in doing so also provide supervision to their subordinates in the best interest of the company. Engineers should embrace diversity and should respect each other cultures. By following these codes engineers can work in the best interest of their company and their country as well. The country will only reopen when the people agree with the state to do so. When people will feel that they are safe going outside and there is no risk of getting infected. The other thing to keep in mind is that the poor people need to work in order to survive and if they work while they are sick, they will risk infecting others with them. Poverty is a big issue and needs to be addressed to stop the epidemic. Engineers should act in the best interest of the company he is working for. He should be cautious and avoid conflicts. If there is something that can hurt company’s reputation, he should inform it promptly to his employer. People should be safeguarding their future by complying with the instructions of the medical experts. United States is planning a three-phase reopening program. They are shifting towards controlled lockdown which means the daily activities will be performed in a cautious manner. It will be difficult in some ways but will need to be implemented in order to get the nation on the track. There will be testing of covid-19 affected areas to phase out people who are unaffected and they will be allowed to do work in a cautious manner. The researchers are finding ways to make the antidote but it can take a year to develop and test. Currently the testing kits are being refined to test at a short notice. The World Health Organization has declared Coronavirus the deadliest epidemic to date. People are in a state of war with an invisible enemy that spreads silently and kills. People need to act responsible in this case and follow the guidelines stated by the government. NSPE Code of Ethics also guide in this case that people need to act in the best interest of their country and do not involve in any activity that spreads the virus. This is a global issue and people need to cope up with it using their will power and staying strong. The humankind has faced worst epidemic in history and it can overcome this epidemic too by being strong and facing it with patience and will power. Reopening will take time and the life will come back to normal but it will be slow and painful process.