"Corona / Covid 19" imposed on us a new way of life unprecedented in the history of the country. The new method is the adaptation of the state to the emergency situation by adopting a temporary private way of life to cross the current crisis that is ravaging the world, and the UAE has proven to be an efficient country that cares about the security and safety of everyone living on its soil.
Decisions applied by the state and some other countries in the world include working remotely, or from homes. It is an essential safety decision for employees. A decision applied even to institutions with a special status, such as newspapers. This newspaper is published by editors who work diligently from within their homes, which is a temporary situation, but it may turn into a culture in the future.
This situation was not imagined only 10 years ago, and the prevailing picture at the time was that working at home part-time or for those who have free business, and the completion of work for government jobs from home, was before "Corona" a fantasy.
I will limit myself to talking only to newspapers, in which the method of remote work was a prominent feature in several countries in Europe and America before "Coffed 19". Notable newspapers like The Washington Post and The New York Times, and popular magazines such as The Atlantic and The New Yorker, have relied on itinerant journalists injecting varied material into their pages and websites.
But "Coved 19" came and imposed on the Arab and international press a new situation related to journalists and technicians for the first time in the history of the profession, and prompted some newspapers to stop publishing, others to work from home and increase communication through the "WhatsApp".
For our newspaper, telecommuting is a distinctive and rich experience despite its novelty, and it revealed that all newspaper workers are able to adapt to this exceptional circumstance. The newspaper was published smoothly, and we now see the materials being pumped daily from homes to pages, websites and social media platforms in the same way that we used to work from the offices.
We will ask cautiously after the "Coffed 19" evacuated the world: Are we returning to our offices? The answer to the state is that it will take the decision it deems appropriate, but then its distance work will turn into a way of life, especially since its disadvantages, if any, are very few.
The topic remains daily or weekly meetings, and they are necessary to guide workers in any newspaper and develop work plans, and these are accomplished through special computer programs. The activation of telework is a sound and inevitable decision to curb the rapid spread of «Coved 19» and came by law, and the country has proven that it has invested in technical infrastructure in a wonderful way, and this is why productivity in the press sector continues at a rate of days before the virus itself.
In Arabic: The crisis has not ended yet, but the UAE is proving an exceptional superiority day after day, from the field of relief and assistance to the stricken countries to the foresight that made the crisis as if it were not surprising or not confusing to the state. Strategic planning and courageous decision-making are a natural feature of an efficient country, and what we do in a way that looks like a routine in these circumstances is impossible for other countries, some of which count toward the first world.
Abdulla.AlQamzi@emaratalyoum.com
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"Covid 19" imposed on the press a new situation related to journalists and technicians for the first time in the history of the profession.