We didn’t think our inaugural Orbis blog post would be about this. COVID-19 is an unprecedented crisis that is challenging the health and livelihoods of communities around the globe. Like you, we think of our families, friends, peers, and communities during this time. This pandemic instills unprecedented fears, responsibilities, and expectations on today’s doctors, nurses, paramedics, law enforcers, government, businesses, and educators – really, on everyone. Coronavirus is non-discriminatory and far-reaching.
And yet, we collectively face a new everyday reality deeply fragmented from what we once knew and hold questions that require answers we don’t yet have. All of us are confronted by (arguably) the biggest health challenge of our generation and called upon to work together to try to make things better. Admittedly this is no time to fabricate silver linings, yet we can all admit that humanity does have a way of uniting in times of darkness and finding our finest hours. To that end, innovation and communities bound by a culture of caring are on the rise worldwide. In Canada, government, employers, businesses, universities, colleges, and post-secondary students have been bravely and strategically clearing a path forward – one that is paved by putting people first. At Orbis, our team is inspired and uplifted by the precautionary measures and selfless steps that businesses, higher learning institutions, and students continue to take to protect our local and global community.
Since Coronavirus has hit Canada, we have also seen:
- universities and colleges, nationwide, making fervent strides to research COVID-19 and try to develop a vaccine
- post-secondary students applying to jobs and volunteering at hospitals, clinics, fundraisers, and positions of care in droves
- faculty, students, and alumni using 3-D printing or creating biodegradable face shields to protect frontline medical workers
- health & science departments donating and delivering critical supplies to hospitals and clinics
- universities and colleges, including our campus partners, closing their doors, rescheduling convocation, and moving to a temporary remote learn and work environment that serves to protect their students and global community until the pandemic lifts
- openness, consistent and clear communication, and a general culture of caring in full force throughout our government, education system, employers, peers, and communities
- students, nationwide, doing their part to self-isolate and adapt to our new (temporary) norm
- employers pivoting to provide remote-work and employment
- Manufacturing companies shifting their product lines to produce protective gear for healthcare workers on the front lines of fighting this virus
In just shy of 4 weeks tremendous measures have been implemented, and action taken, to safeguard our futures and protect one another. Despite the isolating restrictions and natural fears that COVID-19 prevention has placed on our lives, being apart clearly cannot keep us from working together to make things better.
Of course, at Orbis, adapting is not new. As a technology company, with nearly 2 decades as Canada’s most trusted software solution provider for universities and colleges, we are in the business of solution-seeking and interconnectivity. This being said, we now all feel the meaning of interpersonal relationships and the human experience more than ever. The significance of access to first-hand experiences could not be more palpable than when those experiences are limited. Yes, we can rely on technology to keep us together despite our physical distance, but truly nothing can replace the lasting lessons and transformative value every one of us brings to the lives and evolving minds of another. That’s why at Orbis, we are planning for right now while energizing for a post-COVID-19 environment – one where our life experiences and lasting relationships are invaluable and irreplaceable.
Thank you for being a part of a community larger than yourself and the walls around you. Thanks for thinking of more than what is in front of you and, instead, to what’s beyond. The hope of our entire team is that when things seem at their worst, you will see our best. On behalf of our entire organization, stay safe and stay healthy.
Sincerely,
The Orbis Team
