Assessment of the environmental impacts of COVID-19

The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus Outbreak 2019 (COVID-19) has caused worldwide concern and has affected all aspects of human life. This change in human lifestyle has brought advantages and disadvantages to the environment. Therefore, research on these effects by focusing on the presence and evolution of the COVID-19 virus in water, soil, and other environmental factors, as well as providing solutions to improve the environment, is very important. This study aims to show the direct and indirect positive and negative effects of COVID-19 on the environment. The results indicate that despite the temporarily positive effects of coronavirus on the environment due to implementing lockdown, such as improvement in air quality, environmental noise reduction, cleaner beaches and coastal areas, there are negative short- and long-term effects, such as excessive water consumption, reducing waste recycling, and significant increase of both residential and medical solid waste generation, which leads to pollute or degrade the environment (air, water, and land). Moreover, with the global economic re-launching in most countries in the coming months, it could result in adverse effects such as increasing greenhouse gas emissions.