The coronavirus pandemic and its restrictions have affected the lives of everybody in various ways. One thing that is emerging is that even after these are changed, and the world returns to normal, our lifestyles may well have changed forever.
We quickly adapted to social distancing by changing our ways of communicating
Even though our reliance on tech started years ago, we now rely on it far more for work meetings, to keep in touch socially, and to learn. We are also using it to exercise and be entertained. There has been a huge surge of traffic online, including mobile phones.
As parents, we are also more relaxed about letting our children have more screen time, understanding our children’s needs for communication and entertainment. Even though we have more distance from loved ones, we feel a connection with them because we can communicate.
Our awareness of the danger of proximity may never recede and may become second nature to us. We may start finding greater comfort in avoiding situations where we are near others, especially those we are not too close with. All in all, social distancing did not prove as difficult for most of us as we initially thought it would.
Our patriotism has evolved
According to associate professor of political science Mark Lawrence Schrad, the virus has shifted our idea of patriotism. The likely scenario is that moving ahead, we will no longer associate it with armed forces and war. We will recognize the sacrifices of frontline and essential workers as patriotic acts; including those who are not working in the field of health but who help meet our daily essential needs.
We can reverse climate change
Lockdowns have improved the quality of life in some of the world’s largest cities. They are calmer and the air is cleaner. The roads are also safer, and wildlife has been returning. The BBC reported that the Royal Observatory of Belgium observed that the earth has become quieter. The reduced human activity has drastically lowered the seismic noise found in the crust of the earth. Environmental regulations are likely to be pushed forward with more vigor from here on.
Our daily and entertainment needs can be more flexible
Whether we need to see a doctor or shop for groceries, we have changed the way we go about it. We have found out there is no need to leave our home, take public transport or go through the process of finding parking, just to go stand in a busy line at the supermarket or to wait in a busy doctor’s surgery. These changes will contribute to a more sustainable environment in the future too.
The shift of bringing the cinema to our home started a while back, but cinemas will be going into a deeper decline from here onward. Travel is also likely to change, with people preferring to travel closer to home by car. Both industries will probably have to reinvent themselves and make it enticing for their customers to come back.
Privacy is proving less important, but hygiene has become even more so
Contact tracing is necessary to prevent the spread of the virus, but people worry about their privacy. Unfortunately, health is more important than privacy, and we all realize it.
Governments will also need to make bigger investments in public health to reduce the flaws in the healthcare system. We are also more aware of the importance of hygienic practices and will be washing out hands and sanitizing more in the future. These measures will be increased in public transport and air travel to help ensure the safety of passengers.
COVID-19 uncovered many things about our lifestyle, but above all, it showed how easy it is for us to adapt.
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