Covid-19 has affected the lives of millions of people. And continues affecting them even though we can now see the light at the end of the pandemic. In many forms and ways, we have seen our lives change due to the coronavirus pandemic. We want to take these first lines to show our condolences and support to all of the families and organizations that might have lost someone they cared about during these difficult times. We do not want to get into how the pandemic affected the market and the prices -FAO already did that-. What summons is how the lives of the people involved in our industry changed. Let's dive into the human dimension of the crisis.
The impact covid-19 has had on sanitary measures, border restriction and market access affected the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in the Aquaculture, Seafood, and Fisheries industries. Creating not only economic but also social disruptions in their lives. Affecting their livelihoods and the worldwide food security of millions. Leading most of them to the edge of poverty, but some of them falling into it. Increasing undernourishment and unemployment rates.
As breadwinners became ill, perished, or lost their jobs, marginalized communities around the world have been seriously affected. These industries rely heavily on labor. And COVID restrictions, from social distancing to travel bans, have lead people to be temporarily laid-off. Migrant workers represent a big number in our industry's workforce, so global talent has been affected very closely.
We all experienced the pandemic differently. We are all in the same ocean, however, each of us has a different boat or no boat at all. The pandemic has given us the opportunity to reflect on our privileges as well as develop more empathy for others. As some have been affected more than others. The inability to see our families and loved ones also had its toll on our overall wellbeing during this pandemic.
A lot of the duties involved in food production do not grant the opportunity for remote work. In a year in a half where most of us have been secluded to our homes. Farmworkers have had to be apart from their families more than usual and more than the rest. The scarcity of social interaction has not been easy for the majority of them. Some people lost the battle to covid, others lose the battle to mental illnesses and domestic abuse.
We should take the time to contemplate how we can help others live this pandemic in a less hostile way. Let us show the world what we are made of. And what we can all do together. Remember not everyone has lived the pandemic the same way you have. Only when we are able to put ourselves in other people's shoes we are able to build great things together. Let this be our lesson to improve our practices, not only our social practices. But also keep improving practices in the industry that makes these difficult times, less harsh on everyone involved.
