‘COVID-19 has brought healthcare innovation to the forefront’ – 30 quotes from India’s coronavirus struggle
In this compilation, we present thought-provoking quotes from the week of December 7-13 that frame India’s battle with COVID-19.
Launched in 2014, StoryBites is a weekly feature from YourStory, featuring notable quotable quotes in our articles of this past week. This special series of compilations focuses on India’s COVID-19 struggle (see last week’s post here). Share these quotes and excerpts with your networks, and check back to the original articles for more insights.
Innovation is the key to solving the world's toughest challenges whether it is stopping a pandemic, avoiding climate disaster, or just raising human productivity. - Bill Gates
COVID-19 has brought healthcare innovation to the forefront as the virus went from large cities to all the small towns. - Sandeep Singhal, Nexus VP
Democratic countries where human rights are respected and where women are able to reach top positions in society are also the countries that are the best equipped to handle crises by COVID-19. - Maggie McGrath, Forbes
The work done by the Ismaili Muslim community during the pandemic by sending drinking water to multiple COVID-19 centres in the City, is most commendable and exemplary. - Neelam Andrade, NESCO
Affordable, reliable childcare shouldn’t be a luxury for some. It should be available to all—during COVID-19 and always. - Melinda Gates
We are in no position to ignore the kind of damage that has been unleashed on the environment, because we are not equipped to handle repercussions. Look at how we are struggling in this pandemic, which is a result of us meddling with nature. - Rohit Varma, Nature inFocus
De-densified workspaces and a distributed workforce environment are here to stay. - Amit Ramani, Awfis
Cleaning is an evergreen and recession-proof business. With COVID-19, the need for cleaning and hygiene has only gone up. - Lav Agrawal, Smart Clean
As per most surveys, close to 25 percent of the consumers today are driven by health and hygiene choices. - Gaurav Sharma, Investcorp India
The worst casualty of the pandemic has been the restaurant industry. - Chef Manish Mehrotra
The pandemic has challenged everyone, and the level of fear and uncertainty is very high. - Ram Devineni, Priya Shakti
The pandemic has been especially rough on solopreneurs, forcing many of them to shut shop. - Yash Raj Agrawal, Gimbooks
The year 2020 has been full of unprecedented challenges for businesses across India, and especially small businesses. - Manish Tiwary, Amazon India
There’s never been a better time to double down on live social games. In a post-COVID world, people are looking for new ways to connect, to relate, to compete, and to share. - Justin Keeling, Lumikai
The huge growth in social gaming, where friends and family are gaming together, will outlast the pandemic. - Salone Sehgal, Lumikai
With Meghalaya becoming a sort of an escape for people from crowded cities where the pandemic has hit the most, it is only natural that, from a business point of view, more spaces will begin to be open for hosting. - Annie Jyrwa, Airbnb superhost
COVID-19 has brought in a seismic shift in school education. Beyond online classes, students need a lot of support in a remote learning environment for a full schooling impact. - Smita Deorah, LEAD School
People are spending more time at home and that is why the whole pandemic situation has actually boosted the home fashion business worldwide. - Aditya Gupta, The Rug Republic
It was a watershed moment for the ecommerce industry in India because there were shifts from both demand and supply side with this new normal. - Ankur Bisen, Technopak
During this pandemic, storytelling has taken the popular marketing strategy tagline “humanise your brand” to the next level. - Miri Rodriguez, ‘Brand Storytelling’
Consumer behaviour has shifted towards digital media due to the pandemic. - Mathew Job, CGCEL
Consumers are rebalancing rather than reducing expenditure away from outdoor entertainment, cinema, and concerts to OTT and gaming. - KPMG
The pandemic-induced lockdown has left more power in the hands of the average Indian viewer whose consumption patterns are driven by convenience viewing and the want for newer content. - Mrinal Jha, Undercover Utopia
The COVID-19 crisis has been a financial wake-up call for millennials. There is a surge in awareness of money management saving for the long term, being careful with spending, and pursuing better investment. - Kusal Roy, Standard Chartered Bank
With branchless banking and contactless payment being the new norm, COVID-19 has indeed accelerated the digital adoption of financial services among both white-collar and blue-collar workers in India. – Vinay Bagri, NiYO
The lockdown had the unintended consequence of accelerating the country's up-and-coming agritech ecosystem. - Accel Partners and Omnivore report
While the world is reeling under the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, India has seen tech investments crossing over $38 billion in the last five or six months. - Amitabh Kant, NITI Aayog
There has been a series of global trends that began long before the pandemic. The pandemic just made it disruptive. - Chandresh Nigam, Axis Asset Management
When creative minds are behind locked doors, our souls expand to express more through art. - Shobha Iyer
From the fight against this global pandemic, rejoicing in celebratory moments, standing up for those communities impacted by the pandemic, to bonding over rediscovered shows, interests and memes, India came together beautifully on Twitter this year. - Manish Maheshwari, Twitter India
YourStory has also published the pocketbook ‘Proverbs and Quotes for Entrepreneurs: A World of Inspiration for Startups’ as a creative and motivational guide for innovators (downloadable as apps here: Apple, Android).
Edited by Teja Lele