Its fair to say that, even post Covid-19, the pandemic is going to have long term effects on life as we know it.
I’ve been reflecting on life before lockdowns, and came up with some predictions on what the future will look like thanks to the virus.
One of the major differences I predict is something that we’ve already seen in Japan and other Asian countries.
Whilst we’re looking to a world where they will no longer be mandatory, I my hope we take some inspiration from other cultures where wearing masks when out was already the norm, especially during the winter months and flu season.
The British seem to like to leave the house no matter how ill they are, like it’s a goal to share as many germs as possible with as many people as possible, but by integrating masks into our culture people will stop needlessly spreading disease to each other.
Another difference is that people may be more aware of the importance of hygiene.
Pre Covid-19 I assumed everyone washed their hands when they got home from the shops, or before they ate. The amount of people who seemed to have to be told about this basic hygiene step was shocking to me.
Now that the population has been taught that washing your hands is in fact important, hopefully this will become habit that sticks in a post-pandemic world.
It’s not just the hand washing habits that might stick, but the idea of catch it and bin it has become a lot more crucial in the last year. Another thing that shocked me was the amount of people who reused old tissues without a second thought to it.
Now Covid-19 has frightened the masses, I hope that this reusing tissue issue is over and people realise how unhygienic it is.
A final, and the most worrying, difference that I expect to see is sadly a bit of social awkwardness when out and about.
Brits are known for already being socially awkward at times, but being isolated for nearly a year will have a major effect on the way we socialise.
I haven’t met a single new person in a year, I’ve forgotten how to interact with people I don’t know, how to introduce myself and start a conversation with no common ground.
It’s a fear that I know many share, but at least instead of the weather we can talk about “that bloomin’ pandemic”.
Though a simple remedy to this will be when the pubs open, a few pints later everyone will go back to talking to anyone who will listen and instantly become best friends with people they’ve know four minutes as we did pre-Covid-19.
For now, all we can is wait until this is over, and I for one am excited to see how much this year in limbo will change our world.
I just hope it’s for the better.
By George Bird
