2020 has been a whirlwind of a year. We have been left speechless as unseen viruses creep around while we go about our “new normal” lives. Along with this, we have seen many other equally pressing matters. Australian Wildfires, the US Election and the Black Lives Matter Movement are just a few of them. Having survived through this abomination of a year, I am now going to have a look at what could potentially become the “New Normal!”

The Next DISASTER

While it cannot be disputed that 2020 had some disastrous moments, some good did come out of this year. Society as a whole, has become more health-conscious and “green” during lockdown. What this means is that going forward, society will be much more fit and much more environmentally aware. The UK, US and China all plan to have net zero emissions by 2050-60. Thus it can be proved that rates of Carbon Emissions will hopefully become lower henceforth and the next disaster won’t be climate-related. It can also be said that a war-related event will not happen. In early January of 2020, lots of talks were going on about the likelihood of a potential WW3. Owing to the pandemic, country leaders would be foolish to go to war at a time where social distancing is imperative. A movement regarding racism is unlikely to happen again as the Black Lives Matter movement has definitely made an impact on the government and police. What can be asserted however, is that there will be no manmade disaster. A disaster is something which is spontaneous and so, is not easily predictable. And to be honest, if there was a disaster coming up in 2021, it can’t be worse than what we’ve already been through.

COVID Regulations

Education

Schools have undertaken a huge responsibility to maintain social distancing in and around school grounds. The school which I attend, Tiffin School, has put a vast amount of measures into place. These include the usage of masks anywhere but the classroom, the frequent wiping of desks when moving between classrooms and certain one-way systems so as to reduce mass crowd gatherings in one place. Going forward, I would expect the guidelines surrounding education to be kept but the rules would be let go of gradually. The current measures are recognised as an inconvenience and so would frustrate a lot of people if they found out it wasn’t temporary.

Masks

Masks have been made compulsory to wear at this point. You are not permitted to enter shops or offices without a mask and are severely punished at school should you forget to wear a mask. What I am predicting will happen is that the use of masks will no longer feel like an inconvenience and will be viewed as something which is as necessary as your shoes. What will also predictably happen is that various companies will make designer masks. This will increase the price value of masks and will result in face masks not being viewed as a safety precaution but rather as a fashion accessory. Along with this, more and more mask factories will be built globally, thus contributing to the pollution. Industries that cater for men’s shaving or women’s lipstick will see a huge decline in sales as the masks will be covering the mouth, thus rendering shaving equipment and lipstick materials useless. As masks become the fashion, wearing the masks may lead people into a false sense of security, which is definitely not what the government wants.

EVENTS and the ECONOMY

The way certain events worked this year were immensely different to how they would have functioned previously. Award ceremonies and sporting events (e.g. Olympics) were cancelled entirely. Events which could run virtually, such as certain gaming, musical, artistic and political events were modified so as to make them more accessible online. However, it can be said that many industries (Airlines, Tourism, Vehicle Maintenance, Leisure Facilities etc…) took a hit from this pandemic. Going forward, I would expect less films to be released in cinemas and more to be released on certain streaming services, such as Netflix or Disney+. Certain leisure facilities which include gyms would probably re-open as government guidance expands to allow for exercise in places other than your home and with people of your household. The poorer airlines would most likely not make a lot of profit and some would even close down their entire business. Religious events such as Easter, Eid and Diwali have been severely affected by COVID 19. These celebrations would usually call for a large gathering, which was made impossible due to COVID. The government recognises this and does not want a similar restriction to be in place for Christmas. They have allowed up to 3 households to meet up for Christmas. It is highly likely that next year, green shoots of economic growth will occur, but not as high as pre-COVID.

MENTALITY

Wiebke Bleidorn states that, “[The lockdown] may lead to new norms, which may over time also shape our personalities,” The entire mentality towards Public Health in general has changed. Certain measures will be put in place to prevent another pandemic from occuring again. But it’s unlikely that things will ever be the same again. It’s not just the big, fancy events which are affected by this virus. It is also the small day-to-day things of life which will change forever. When going out to a restaurant, people will think twice about eating anywhere outside of their homes. When walking through a street, extra care will be taken so as to maintain distance from anyone else on that street. The virus may disappear but people’s mentality will not. We will give an ample amount of significance to Public Health Research, to scientists and to each other. We will recognise each other as valuable human beings who should not be taken for granted and should be appreciated for who we are. And in general, hopefully we will become a more tolerant society and aware of the deprived individuals who need more support.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, 2020 has given us a bunch of things. Some good, some bad. Thankfully, we are culminating the year in the positive vibes of christmas. And besides, whatever 2021 has to offer, we will all be able to survive it. After all, what can be worse than 2020?

References

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https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/blog/industries-most-and-least-impacted-by-covid-19-from-a-probability-of-default-perspective-march-2020-update

Interstellarity. (2020). List of events affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic. Wikipedia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_events_affected_by_the_COVID-19_pandemic

AumSum. (2020). What if Coronavirus Never Disappeared? Smartlearningforall.

https://youtu.be/U5YWRetmqCU

Cheung, H. (2020). What does Trump actually believe on climate change? Washington DC: BBC.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-51213003

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-54858638

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-54296828

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https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200728-how-lockdown-may-have-changed-your-personality