What do you do when the coronavirus suddenly comes knocking on your door? What is happening to the money in your Tomorrow account and what is happening to the world?
All our tomorrows have never seemed more uncertain than they do right now. Being forced to work from home has engulfed some people in an anxious silence. Others are beginning the working week in a madhouse as their kids are forced to stay home from school. And some people are already finding it extremely difficult to cope with a kind of situation we have never seen before.
The fact is that our world has been turned on its head and is likely to remain that way for some time. Like everyone else, we don’t know what challenges the coming weeks have in store for us, but we’re determined to face them. The only way out of this crisis is together. Our first call to you: keep your distance physically but still stay in close contact with colleagues, friends and family members - whether online or by phone. Connection instead of isolation! We can only get out of this crisis together and we are optimistic that we can face the situation head on. Nevertheless, some question marks remain. We would like to counter these with a short status report from the Tomorrow (home) office, workable ideas for your new everyday situation and a few smart (inter)national reading and listening recommendations.
First of all: what does the coronavirus mean for your Tomorrow account?
Spoiler alert: everything will stay exactly as it is! Your money is secure, and we can also continue to ensure unlimited access to your account. Our support team is here for you as always, whether via chat, e-mail or telephone. We are all working from our respective home offices and although we really miss seeing each other every day, we have all the technology we need to carry on providing the same level of service from home.
What is happening outside our front door while we stay inside?
When maintaining distance suddenly brings people closer together: help out your neighbours or ask for help yourself. You can offer a helping (thoroughly washed!) hand by putting up a notice in your immediate neighbourhood - by buying groceries for elderly neighbours and dropping them at their home, for example. Keep your distance physically, but not emotionally.
Some sectors are being hit very hard by this ‘new normal’. And this is sure to be the case in your own neighbourhood as well. So why not consider supporting your favourite café or cinema by buying gift vouchers, lunch to go or groceries from your local owner-run store rather than ordering online? Look after your neighbourhood – it is your home, after all!
And how is the “rest” of the world reacting?
In order to follow up on this, we recommend you the following daily round-up: the BBC podcast on the spread of the coronavirus, with reports from affected areas, details of the latest medical information and the impact on health, business and travel. The exponential growth of the coronavirus is explained in a smart and instructive way in the Washington Post along with the reasons why #flattenthecurve is so important.
And last but not least: a report about how people in Italy are finding moments of joy in these difficult times by singing together from their balconies to break the silence. So, on that note: take care of yourself and everyone around you and let’s continue to pull together (from a distance).