By Lee San

In the past I used to take about 100 flights a year, but now, almost all the flights worldwide are grounded and unavailable to ordinary passengers, while countries around the world are locked down. We understand this is absolutely necessary in order to win the war against the virus. The thing is, tens of thousands of aircraft are being parked at airport aprons around the world, which is quite a rare sight to behold albeit a little disheartening. I've tried to think this way, that the aircraft, like me, are perhaps taking a good rest to prepare for the next takeoff? Aren't you too?

A senior flight captain friend of mine told me: "Being a pilot for 28 years, I would say I fully sympathize with the company this time. To be fair, 6-month no-pay leave is acceptable, but tens of thousands of flight attendants and landside partners have also been dismissed at the same time, showing that the situation is getting really serious now."

Even though airline companies are most reluctant to do this to their technicians and their families, with all the flights now grounded, it means an abrupt interruption of cash flow. They have no choice but to save themselves from going bust, with the only possible exception of national carriers. As for private airlines, in particular low cost carriers, they can only wait passively and pray for the best. The aviation industry is expected to record US$312 billion less revenue this year. Many may have to look to their governments to bail them out or go into mergers.

"Could such an immense 'pause' warning be a signal someone out there is trying to convey a particular message to us?"

The omnipotent and omnipresent coronavirus is already dealing a severe blow on the tourism industry as well as the related service sectors. The domino effect is felt across a broad range of industries from aviation to cruise lines, logistics, hotels, F&B, theme parks, sightseeing destinations, shopping streets, travel agencies, etc., forcing them to cut pay, lay off workers and possibly go into liquidation.

I was trained in economics, and am more inclined to look at this whole thing optimistically as a momentary break for us to retune our business strategies.

As a matter of fact, during such trying times, both business owners and their employees must be prepared to share the burden together, and pull through the crisis through mutual trust and patience.

Some of the business owners may not get to wait for the arrival of meager subsidies from government. In the United States, more than 22 million people are living on unemployment benefits each month. A Chinese American friend of mine said, "There's anxiety everywhere in America, much more than after 9-11. In March alone, 2.5 million guns were sold. That's very unusual!"

In reality, the Italians, the Spaniards and the Indians are not any better. I hope that it is just a brief 3–6 month hiatus for countries like China, Japan and Malaysia. Even if the situation gets worse, so long as the political and financial systems remain intact, we can always start everything afresh. What is more important now is to treasure our own lives as well as our families while discreetly planning our next moves. So, just be patient, okay?

…Who's that which is such immensely powerful to enforce a complete halt of all human activities, forcing them to spontaneously shut themselves out and robbing them of their jobs… If it hasn't come with a wicked intent, what on earth is it trying to hint to the poor earthlings?

Face mask is definitely very much more in demand than bubble tea nowadays, and makes a perfect diplomatic gift. Does it signal the demise of the once burgeoning bubble tea business, or the meteoric rise of the profitability of face mask dealership?

Thanks to the coronavirus outbreak, those profit-churning machines close to the government are now laughing their way to the bank having squeezed every single dime out of the distressed people. I heard this happens in the White House, too.

Before the coronavirus took the world in a big way, there was no way one could make the Europeans or the Americans put on a face mask. "I'm not sick! Why should I cover up my mouth and nose?" The Japanese and the Koreans, on the other hand, would love to put on a mask even in the absence of pollen or flu. "Wearing a mask gives me confidence!" I was thinking, lifting the MCO doesn't mean the vaccine is already available in the market, but at least the mask will keep us alive. What about the many face masks we have stockpiled at home? Just wear one every day like the Japs or the oppas. Isn't that cool?

…A face mask that costs only RM1.50 a piece is so thin and light yet so powerfully effective in keeping us alive. Is there any important message it tries to convey to us?

These few weeks, other than feeling utterly indebted to our frontline doctors and nurses, we also owe much of our convenience to online shopping platforms and delivery services. After this whole thing has come to pass, will we still spend hours eating out at restaurants and tea houses? I'm sure many will still look to the delivery boys for their daily necessities, right?

As a matter of fact, the more we rely on delivery services, the more garbage we are going to produce. This is definitely not auguring well for our environment. Or because we simply find it so difficult to kick a habit we've picked up during the MCO? I'm afraid after the MCO is lifted, my friends may tell me not to meet unless absolutely necessary, as ZOOM meeting will become a new normal then.

…It gives us MCO because there's something in us that it wants us to change?

Under the lockdowns, curfews and social distancing measures adopted by nations across the world, at least we have had some great news for the environment. Fishes are back in the Venetian canals; the Himalayas are no longer shrouded in smog; you can drink straight from the Ganges; Wuhan is getting healthier now; and the sky over KL is blue again. Our Earth has been purged of the pollutants, but have our souls too attained the enlightenment?

P/S: Don't worry my friend, all this will come to pass for sure. Life will be back to normal very soon. But, as the Chinese saying goes, we must learn to follow the good way and abandon the evil.

"Never let a good crisis go to waste," Winston Churchill once said.

(Lee San is Founder and Group Executive Chairman of Apple Vacations. He has traveled to 132 countries, six continents, and enjoys sharing his travel stories and insights. He has also authored five books.)