My thoughts and hopes re a post covid-19 world

Life as it is never before

Never in our lifetime (or any lifetime) have any of us experienced a phenomenon quite like this. Globally we are in lockdown trying to prevent this pandemic from growing. We will beat it if we act in accordance with the instructions we are receiving from the medical experts but it’s going to be tough!

All of our shops (bar supermarkets, off licences and pharmacies) are closed. Offices and schools are largely empty with all but essential workers working from home. Buses and trains are still running but on a reduced timetable with often no passengers.

Many businesses have closed and may never open again (e.g. cafes, restaurants and bars). Our airlines are on their knees. They lose money during the winter months but make up for this in the summer. But who of us are thinking about booking a summer holiday right now with this uncertainty?

Millions of workers are having to work from home for the first time ever and those with children are also having to home school at the same time, adding enormously to their workload and stress levels. 

We are now receiving more emails as colleagues compensate for not being in the same office and because it represents a form of social contact. And we have all turned massively towards video conferencing as a way of staying in touch with co-workers, friends and families.

We can no longer go out to celebrate our big occasions or to visit elderly relatives.

And worse of all for me, all of our news is just about one thing – the virus. It makes me want to avoid the news all together since it makes me depressed.

There have been some good things to have come out of this situation

We are all recognising just how vital the NHS and other emergency services are and this will be very beneficial in the longer term.

I’m told CO2 emissions are down. I live under the flight path and haven’t seen or heard an airplane for quite some time now.

Despite what your political views may be, you cannot doubt the speed with which the government jumped in to give support to businesses, employees and the self-employed.

We have shown, already, that home working is viable in many instances and is not the end of the world. 

We are showing tremendous community spirit in England once more. I live alone with my dog. I came home one day to see a note on my door from my new neighbours (whom I did not know) telling me to call them if I needed supplies or my dog being walked!

And, particularly of note for me, Britain’s innovative spirit has been shown in droves. Just look at how quickly Dyson’s came out with a new design for the much-needed ventilator! I also played a small part in all of this by helping an anaesthetist friend create a cheaper version of a pre-ventilator by putting him in touch with a client of mine (an oxygen company).

So what are my ten expectations (and hopes) for the future (post covid-19)?

1. We will have massive parties when this is over which will help resurrect the cafes, bars and restaurants. 
2. Yet we also grieve for loved ones who died yet we weren’t able to be there with them.
3. We will give more money and more people to the NHS and associated services. At long last!
4. We will all book a lengthy holiday, somewhere warm.
5. We will adopt home working as the new norm almost everywhere; at least, on a part-time basis. Instead of talking about WFH we will talk about WFO. This act will have a massive knock on effect on people who own office space and anyone involved in serving office-based workers.
6. We will remember people and businesses who did not treat their customers and staff well. Which of us will drink in a Wetherspoons pub if they re-open?
7. We will see how travelling less has had a positive effect on our atmosphere which will further help us persuade those who deny the existence of global warming and lead to agreement on CO2 reducing activities.
8. There will a rapid catch up of sport and other events. We will OD on these as we will have been without them for so long.
9. Given we have seen how fast we can move in a crisis, we will come to expect everything to be done extra quick. This will hasten the digital transformations already underway before this all started.
10. My last and final hope is that the (new) community spirit we have seen arise during this process will continue beyond this crisis and will become a new norm, making us all nicer and more considerate to others