Have you noticed how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed us in the past few months? How we have been forced to focus first on what’s within us and then what surrounds us. Our homes, neighborhood, society, town, city, and the state we live in. What food we can rely on when the food supply is limited and when we can’t travel to farther places to get what we like to experience. We have moved from globalization to localization.

Before the outbreak of the COVID-19, it was well-assumed by us all that globalization would lead to growth and it’s the only way towards development. Nevertheless, the socio-economic world shook us with the waves of the pandemic. The whole world is still under one or the other kind of restrictions. This has posed a major challenge on the fulfillment of the demand for various goods and services. This has shifted our focus to be ‘local’, self-reliant, or ‘atmanirbhar’.

After the lockdown restrictions were relaxed, people have started exploring nearby places, nearby residential parks instead of regular gyms, local shops, restaurants and cafes instead of going to the malls, explored more local talents than going to the cinemas or concerts, and most of the people have started traveling to domestic destinations that they have never been to before.

All these factors have led us to a new relocalization movement. And this was essential for our local economical boost. We all understand how Covid-19 has simultaneously damaged the leading economies and has paralyzed links between countries as well. According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), domestic tourism will return faster than international travel.

Many new startups and local businesses have emerged, few got the opportunity to create new commodities like face masks and hand sanitizers.

Now we have started to center our attention on our own health and on our family members. Many have inculcated the habit of practicing yoga and meditation, which is our ancient spiritual science, in the wake of mental instability and uncertainty of the crisis. 

Localization has a number of positive impacts, be it social, economic, and environmental. The reduction in unnecessary transportation helped conserve natural resources, it has also reduced environmental pollution. Moreover, relocalocalization has created new job opportunities and made people think in more creative and practical ways.

Even with a vaccine on the horizon, the crisis isn’t over. But what it has taught us is much greater. It is maybe a wake-up call from nature to give back what we have taken from it. Therefore, it is important that we learn our lessons before we will fuel further other disasters. it is the right time to reboot the system, build local capacity, and promote local production to create a more resilient society with a localized economy. It is the perfect era to reboot. Rethink our adaptive ways, boost local capacity, and be self-reliant.