COVID-19 - IS THE CHANGE TEMPORARY?

Such times of crisis inevitably bring about conspicuous changes. And as people are resignedly trying to comply with the new requirements, altered lifestyles start to emerge. Driven by anxiety and frustration people start making impetuous decision, they start impulsively reacting to the changes occurring in the surrounding environment and start acting incongruously with who they really are, engendering the development of novel habits.

Therefore, the question that keeps rising is: 'Are these alterations temporary or not?'

Little things which used to be enjoyable, such as going to the supermarket or walking their pets, have become unbearably stressful for many, as, with every step they take, with every decision they make, people's apprehension of the peril surrounding them increases. No one can accurately predict the repercussions that the novel coronavirus pandemic will have and the changes it will induce on today's society, thus the only thing that is left to do is to adapt to the current situation. Hence, envisioning the post-pandemic world is the key in ensuring that we change for the better, not for the worse.

However, what happens when mere precautionary measures become habits?

On the one hand, the outbreak of the novel coronavirus has sparked a health crisis that in turn has unleashed an unprecedented deployment of resources. The technology communities are striving for finding swift solutions that could help mitigate the impact of the pandemic. In recent weeks, numerous initiatives that could help tackle some of the challenges presented by the rapid spread of the virus have come forward. Technology is mainly being used to alleviate some of the more difficult side effects of social distancing. Additionally, as time goes by and the crisis peaks our dependence on technology augments, as it is the only source of information that we have left. Hence, the prospects are that in the post-pandemic world technology will be significantly more ubiquitous and most people will become highly dependent on it, with the possibility of some habitual activities rapidly becoming obsolete due to the newly enhanced technology.

On the other hand, one of the possible positive upshots of the measures that are currently implemented is a revolution in the delivery of primary healthcare. As digital technologies will become ubiquitous, enhancements of healthcare systems worldwide will enable a more efficient approach in case of an epidemic.

Moreover, the experience and knowledge that we, as a society, have gained will enable us to effectively prevent a possible future pandemic and save the lives of millions. 

Taking everything into account, the global paradigm will undoubtedly alter, and it depends entirely on us whether or not we will be able to adapt to such a radical change.