Our World After Covid

As lockdown restrictions are starting to lift, people and businesses are eagerly looking to begin a ‘new normal’ but with the threat of a second wave shadowing our every move, will life truly be as it was before?

Photograph: Peter Byrne

One thing for certain is that we’ll be more ready. For nearly a decade, the government has viewed a pandemic as the highest risk to our society. Yet when the time came, PPE stockpiles were woefully unprepared and NHS staff weren’t issued the correct equipment recommended by the World Health Organisation. Many frontline staff resorted to community donated PPE or even plastic bags in an attempt to protect themselves. Despite the warning, our government delayed lockdown measures and this inaction has cost the lives of thousands. What’s more, only 32% approve of government performance – alluding to an increasing distrust of current officials that will no doubt spill into an era of further political unrest post Covid. The government will look to replenish PPE stocks but as we move into an age of austerity, these could be threatened by budget cuts along with most of our public services and, if lessons aren’t learned, we’ll be unable to protect our NHS workers once again.

A Plastic Pandemic.

This increased use of disposable protection will also have an effect on our environment. In the UK, around a billion PPE equipment have been distributed and though they’re essential to keeping us safe, they’re now polluting our oceans and lining our streets. Already, masks and gloves have been found on beaches on Hong Kong’s islands by Oceans Asia (an organisation dedicated to protecting ocean life) while Laurent Lombard from French clean-up charity Opération Mer Propre posted: ‘There risks being more masks than jellyfish’. Furthermore, to curb the spread of the virus, many companies have rejected shoppers’ reusable bags and instead are readily handing out plastic alternatives. This lapse on plastic crackdown may never be overturned and any future progresses on waste management could be halted. Unless addressed now, our oceans will become swamped with plastic, devastating fish stocks and destroying businesses and communities reliant on the sea.

It's Not All Bad News.

However, since the start of restrictions, the DFT has reported a 69% decrease in road traffic resulting in a cleaner and quieter Britain. NO₂ emissions have reduced by a third because of this, leaving our atmosphere healthier and could potentially help reduce the number of asthma and respiratory diseases. Spending time at home, people have come to appreciate nature and this reconnection could be what we need to save it. By being more aware, pollution in the UK may continue to drop as less people are taking flights and working from home this summer. After Covid, this trend could continue when people start using local businesses, walking more and avoiding large public spaces and transport.

Pandemic Is the New Normal.

Sadly though, this won’t be our last pandemic. As the population increases, humans start encroaching on animal habitats leading to humans and wildlife (and their diseases) continually mixing. This puts us further at risk of a second pandemic. From the Amazon alone, 6 million tons of bushmeat is hunted and the practice is already believed to be the cause of HIV, Ebola and Coronavirus. If this continues, more dangerous viruses could emerge and put us all in danger. Hence, we should be more careful of the food we eat and hold higher standards for food hygiene. We will need to ban the overuse of antibiotics in animals (40% of antibiotics produced are fed to animals), turn to locally sourced meats and ban the wild meat trade.

This becomes more important when businesses that have struggled now won’t be able to cope with repeat waves of lockdown. Repeated months with no trade is unsustainable and the government is unable to subsidise everyone. The current economic crisis will also have impact on people’s mental health. The Mental Health Foundation has found a clear link between financial inequality and mental health shown by a 2017 survey where it was found that 73% of people in the lowest income category experienced a mental health issue compared to 59% of people in the highest. As Covid-19 has put a strain on all our purses, it is likely that most of us will struggle and it is important that organisations and charities are prepared to help us through it in the coming months and years.

Life in the next few months will be noticeably different. We’ll be more wary of public spaces, more hygiene conscious and demand better responses from our governments. While we need to break from the social isolation, more policies and measures must be put in place to ensure we better protect ourselves and our planet. With nearly 45000 UK deaths from Covid-19, it is hoped that future generations won’t underestimate the power of viruses and that we, the public, will play our part in securing our society.