By John Hale, Ph.D.
Faculty Member, Psychology, American Military University
Amid the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic, we are living through historic times. The world is changing, and we are not exactly sure where we will end up. But it is becoming increasingly clear that we will never be the same again.
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What started out as an anomaly in a Chinese city just a few months ago has spread like a brushfire. The novel coronavirus has stopped the world in its tracks and forced all of us to change the way we interact with each other and with our surrounding world.
Concerts have been shut down until the fall with some postponed until 2021. Independence Day festivities have already been cancelled in some regions of the United States. Even the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic games have been postponed until next year. All of these measures are designed to keep too many people from congregating and possibly sparking a resurgence of the coronavirus in the coming months. But all this comes with a heavy cost.
Fears of a second and third wave of the novel coronavirus named COVID-19 are well-founded. Just look at the Spanish Flu of 1918 for historical evidence of what can happen. Countries just don’t shut down for nothing and destroy the economy and global trade for a seasonal flu. Coronavirus is different. How will it affect international partnerships going forward?
Here are a few key areas where we’ll all feel some long-lasting – and possibly permanent – changes.
Post-Coronavirus World Businesses
Not everything that emerges from this pandemic has to be bad. Sometimes change is good. One area of possible change for the better is how employees will return to work when COVID-19 is under control.
Social distancing will make companies rethink how they can stay open while remaining viable and safe. Of course, we have seen the plexiglass partitions installed at various retail stores that separate cashiers from patrons. We’ve also seen the tape on the floors marking the six feet of required separation between customers in line. While these safety measures will possibly fade with time, one thing that will be here to stay is teleworking.
Thanks to the coronavirus lockdown restrictions, companies are finding that many traditional, in-person office work can be done equally well by employees at home. Teleworking has some interesting benefits as well as complications. People often experience a learning curve retooling their home computers and offices to handle the new way of vocational life.
However, this new method can also offer opportunities for some flexibility and refocusing. The hours spent commuting will be gone for most people, along with mandatory clocking in and out. Even the small things like when to take a lunch break or what to wear will also be gone for teleworkers.
On the flip side, businesses can reduce their overhead by not having to outfit their offices with equipment. They might also save by leasing smaller office space.
With most workers at home – and not forced to interact face-to-face with people they may not like – there will also be a reduction in “office politics” and “office drama.” Time is saved, money is saved and morale is improved. Thanks to the pandemic, there will be a real paradigm shift in conducting business.
Post-Coronavirus Healthcare Using Telemedicine
Telemedicine has been available for a while now, but it hasn’t really caught on until now. In addition, not all parties were sufficiently educated in how to use it.
The coronavirus is forcing healthcare personnel to assess patients virtually. Not only is this more efficient, but it also reduces the chance of community spread of an illness among already vulnerable populations at hospitals and physicians’ offices. Whether it prevents a cold, the flu, or simply reduces anxiety, being able to get a valid diagnosis and treatment recommendation over the phone or via a video call – without leaving one’s home – is a good thing.
Post-Coronavirus Leisure Activities
People love to gather. We are social beings by nature and design. However, this too will change in the foreseeable future. Once coronavirus restrictions end, restaurants will likely alter the way they serve their guests. It’s unlikely we’ll see tables that are farther apart with fewer seats, but we’ll probably see a reduction in the maximum capacity of patrons.
Restaurants with salad bars and buffets may introduce measures to enforce an adequate level of social distancing. Other predictions indicate that taking temperatures and requiring masks may even become commonplace.
Additionally, amusement parks may have to restrict access. Professional sports and concerts may reduce their seating capacity and spectator proximity. Televised and streamed events – with no spectators – could become the new normal.
We Will Get Through This Pandemic
While some people will welcome these fundamental changes, implementing them will take some adjustment and acceptance, and that will not be easy.
A COVID-19 vaccine is most likely more than a year away, and many leading medical experts fear future waves of the virus once the current restrictions are relaxed. Many Americans will not accept their “quarantine” for too much longer, nor should they. Our communities are in this together. But we need real information, not just instructions on what to do. Without that, many people will truly resist. Indeed, we are already seeing resistance to – and flouting of – stay-at-home laws in several states.
We will get through this pandemic. Just how we will look on the other side is speculative at best. The coronavirus has resulted in a societal evolution at its purest. It can be good; it can be sinister – but we decide that. Stay alert and stay informed as we take our first steps into our post-coronavirus world.
About the Author
Dr. John Hale is a professor in American Military University’s School of Arts and Humanities. Additionally, he is a member of ECPI University’s psychology faculty. Dr. Hale received his M.S. in Psychology and his Ph.D. in Psychology from Walden University. He is also an adjunct professor at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology as well as the University of Maryland Global Campus.
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