Will things ever be the same again after Covid-19? No. This pandemic has had such a devastating effect on the world that things will never be the same again. It is like the plagues of old. They are seared into the collective memory and consciousness of the population, fear and grief imprinting themselves in people’s minds that precise dates can be remembered, like the Black Death of the fourteenth century, the plague of 1664, the Spanish flu epidemic of 1919 and flu in Europe of 1955. Coronavirus of 2020 will be etched on people’s conciousness and passed down in future generations.
The world economy may eventually recover. But how many people will have lost their jobs? How many business will have gone bankrupt? A vaccine may be found but it will take many years for it to reach the poorest countries in the world, like Nepal. The travel and hospitality industry will take a long time to recover, if ever. Already thousands of jobs have been lost and businesses collapsed. Tourism may eventually recover, but in a more subdued way. The spirit and atmosphere of holidays will be gone. People will not feel safe being close together, or traveing in a plane on long-haul journeys. Pubs, clubs, theatres and restaurants, and many sporting venues, will have a sombre atmosphere. Above all, national health services will not forget the strain and stress of this pandemic, the extra pressure put on resources, emergency services, doctors, and undertakers. Life will never be the same again.