Coronavirus lockdown results millions in Asia working from home

In some sectors, specifically digital-based companies, the change in workplace environment has been seen as a positive experience

By AARON REICH
A young man works from his laptop in his bedroom of his mother’s home in France. (photo credit: ILLUSTRATIVE: REUTERS)
A young man works from his laptop in his bedroom of his mother’s home in France.
(photo credit: ILLUSTRATIVE: REUTERS)
While people across Asia may be stuck at home due to the coronavirus outbreak, that does not seem to mean they get the time off from work.
In what may be the single largest work-from-home experiment in history, millions of people are working hard while sequestered away at home, CNN reported.
The coronavirus outbreak started in December in Wuhan, in China's Hubei province. However, it has since spread all over the world, especially in Asia.
In January, in an effort to contain the disease, the Chinese government put approximately 60 million people in either full or partial lockdown.
However, this lockdown resulted in a severe worker shortages, disrupted transport and a draining of supplies, not to mention overworked local officials, which has culminated in a slowdown in productivity in the world's second-largest economy over just a two-week period. Earlier last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping warned that the Chinese economy needed to be stabilized.
One estimate cited by CNN concluded that the outbreak could cost the Chinese economy over $62 billion.
With more businesses needing to open to stave off a financial crisis, working from home is seen as the only option. And the leaders of Macau, Hong Kong and Singapore are following suit.
In some sectors, specifically digital-based companies, the change in workplace environment has been seen as a positive experience, and many are considering making it a permanent option going forward. It has also been welcomed by parents who find that working from home makes it easier to take care of children.
However, not all sectors of the economy have adapted well. Teachers have found it a struggle to teach classes remotely, and are using a variety of different tools to adapt to the lack of a classroom environment.
Factories and shipping companies, which cannot fully function with employees working from home, also struggle, CNBC reported.


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