As the global death toll from the novel coronavirus surpasses a staggering yet somber milestone of two million, most countries are now in the midst of a vaccination push. While the vaccine will not change things overnight and we won’t entirely be out of the woods, we can at least look forward to returning to life as we knew it pre-COVID-19 in the near future.

Since we’ve been living with the pandemic for close to a year now, there are certainly aspects of our lives that will forever be altered. So how exactly will the world change post-pandemic? Let’s have a brief look below.

Health

Because of the worldwide health crisis, there has been more focus on science and research to find a cure and create a vaccine at a rapid pace, while at the same time, ensuring steps are taken to control the spread through enhanced health and safety measures. The world’s leading pharmaceutical companies made sure to put their best foot forward to roll out vaccines to prevent further devastating effects of the virus.

The world after COVID-19 will mean continued improvements of health and safety protocols and further research and development into understanding other possible health threats. In other words, the health industry will certainly prove it has learned its lesson from this pandemic and will do its best to be better prepared.

Remote Work Opportunities

Post-pandemic, when there will be less of a health risk to go back to offices, numerous company leaders will be left asking themselves if there would be any need to work in an office. While there was reluctance at first to working from home, more and more employees have come to savour the opportunity of ridding themselves of the hassles of commuting and the often inane office chitchats as the months went on.

While offices won’t entirely be a thing of the past, the fact that numerous organizations were able to function and continue their operations, some even reaching record productivity numbers, while working remotely proves that working onsite may not be as relevant as it was initially thought to be. A few of the world’s most profitable companies including Facebook and Twitter are actually looking into making working remotely a permanent thing even after the pandemic, and it won’t be surprising if more and more organizations follow in their footsteps.

Online Learning

Similar to working remotely, virtual classes weren’t exactly welcomed with open arms during the initial days of the pandemic. This was especially true to those with in-class learning preferences and those who experience challenges with technology.

However, as days went on, most students learned how to adapt and realized the advantages of online learning. Some instructors even offer recorded online classes, which means students can log into them at their own time and watch at their own pace. While it’s not exactly a perfect system, the continuous growth of online learning will make classroom lectures antiquated post-pandemic.

Travel

Because of the travel restrictions implemented around the world, perhaps no industry has taken a hit quite like travel. Even post-COVID-19, it will take years for the industry to recover especially amidst the pressure of adding new safety measures that were developed due to the virus. And with operators like Air Canada having reported billions in losses since the pandemic started, one can trust that these companies will do their best to recoup their deficits and therefore will impose increases in airfare, all the while cutting flight schedules. Smaller operators likely may not see through the end of the pandemic.

Government

One positive change brought about by the pandemic is our perspective on what true leadership means. It’s not certainly someone who’s hyperactively posting in Twitter while making claims that household bleach is the key to containing the virus.

We’ve learned to be less tolerant of leaders who don’t deserve to be in the positions they are in and be more embracing of leaders who truly stepped up to the plate and worked hard to employ measures for the benefit of their constituents. While there’s still a lot to be done, we’ve become smarter with our choices of leaders and we’ve become more vocal in airing out grievances for those who aren’t doing enough or not doing anything at all.

These are just a few examples of the transformations to expect post-COVID-19, and for certain, there might be more. How about you? How do you envision a post-pandemic world?

SOURCES

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/global-death-toll-nears-2-million-as-who-battles-new-virus-strains-1.5268272

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200527-coronavirus-how-covid-19-could-redesign-our-world

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/nov/29/life-after-covid-will-our-world-ever-be-the-same

https://www.euronews.com/2020/10/27/what-will-travel-look-like-in-a-post-covid-world

https://www.gatesnotes.com/podcast/what-will-the-world-look-like-after-covid-19