What are the pandemic effects on society? I list five effects that linger at the aftermath of the longest pandemic in history.
As the COVID-19 pandemic appears to take a significant turn, so are the pandemic’s impacts on human lives gradually waning down. Once again, despite the challenges met during and at the start of the pandemic, many of the people now return to their pre-pandemic occupations. The pandemic has ended. Or at least, the people’s attitude towards the ubiquitous virus has put it on the sidelines.
What changes the pandemic has done to the lives of everyone has both short-term and long-term consequences. I list my observations about pandemic effects on society for posterity.
Five Post COVID-19 Pandemic Effects on Society
1. Unpleasant Memories that Linger
Some families have suffered as they lost their loved ones to the highly contagious virus. Memories of those who did not make it while the virus is in its most aggressive state will always be unpleasant. The stigma stays and lingers for months, even years. Sadness or depression characterize many affected families.
2. Change in Mode of Learning
The global pandemic forced all learners to subscribe themselves to online modes of learning, albeit with all its challenges. Students in places where the internet connection is not working well are at a disadvantage with the adoption of the online mode of learning.
Teachers, with parents who themselves struggle between work and the much needed support of their children, face the dilemma and undertook different approaches that would allow learning to take place. Online learning is not all too familiar for teachers to deal with, as many of them were not trained to engage in such a mode of learning. For practicum courses, the pandemic situation proved to be a challenge.
Parents struggle in giving the much needed support to allow learning to take place in such situations. Some of them could not engage in jobs that require their physical presence, particularly those that involve manual labor. It would be easy for those who work white-collar jobs to work online, but for most of the working class who rely on each day’s income, or hand-to-mouth existence, balancing work and obligations to support the educational needs of their children proved to be a real challenge.
3. Businesses as Usual
I could see businesses mushrooming once again. Restaurants have opened their doors, albeit, the number of customers has not fully picked up yet.
Tourist destinations became full of tourists once again. Food and services mushroomed, leaving many establishments struggling to keep up with the sudden surge in demand.
Relatively fewer people wear their masks, and I haven’t heard of any news of COVID-19 infections, emergencies, and people dying because of the virus. I could see malls have become more populated with shoppers, although some food shops have not resumed their operation yet.
4. Streets are Busy Once Again
Many people are coming out of their homes, and ply the streets. Traffic once again keeps the roads busy. A long line of vehicles awaits the traffic light to change. It takes two to three stops in the traffic corner before I can drive through. The number has doubled, perhaps tripled, since the height of the pandemic.
5. New Work Opportunities Come In
As businesses gradually open, so are opportunities for work to those who have been in confinement for so long. The COVID-19 pandemic had seriously put people who work on a hand-to-mouth existence to a precarious condition. Somehow, the shift back to normal eases the suffering of those who are very much in need.
I’m amazed how these people have gone through the difficulty imposed by involuntary quarantine and limitations imposed by the authorities to control the spread of the coronavirus.
Other jobs as adaptation to the COVID-19 pandemic sprouted, particularly services that require transporting food and non-food items that households need. Apps have become available to facilitate transactions between buyers and sellers. Even without the pandemic, people have become accustomed to these apps and will continue to use them out of convenience.
Although the outlook of this article appears to be very much positive, it is always good practice to be on the side of caution. There is always a possibility that a new variant that can cause breakthrough cases and start the cycle of infection once again.
An updated post by Kathy Katella of Yale Medicine listed 9 things that people should be aware about the COVID-19 outbreak. It helps to bear the tips on mind to prevent a highly stressful situation in your family, community, and country.
The pandemic effects on society have been so great for the past two years, but for many people, it is time to resume activities back to normal. But whatever people consider as “normal” highly depends on their personal judgment as they may be unnecessarily exposing themselves to undue risk without their knowledge. In a democratic country, people now have more freedom to make critical decisions for their health and safety.
© 2023 January 11 P. A. Regoniel
