Anticipating what the world will look like after the pandemic.
Everyone is in agreement that the pandemic has introduced many changes to our lives and that we will have to adapt to a “new normal”. Everything from education, work, entertainment, and social interaction will be changing. But do we know what that would look like?
Schools
While students of all ages are undoubtedly facing their own struggles with distance learning, it is the primary school children who are facing the brunt of all this. Not only are they at a critical age where they are starting to build the foundations of their education, but they have had to do so from home either independently or with support of a parent who may not be equipped to handle this new challenge. This pressure to keep up may result in children burning out at a younger age and potentially suffering from mental health issues as they grow up. Depending on how long this pandemic goes on, schools may change for the long run, bringing with it a whole new dynamic to children’s upbringing, social skills, and development.
Some countries have started to reopen schools by enforcing new safety measures. In China, schools reopened in March, and students were required to have their temperatures checked before entering. Taiwan has taken even more drastic measures by having each student desk covered by partitions similar to a cubicle. In April, Denmark became the first European country to reopen its schools, followed by Sweden with staggered student arrivals, desks placed six feet apart, while also trying to hold classes outdoors as much as possible. Norway has also divided schools into groups of 15 students at a time and are required to wash their desks daily. France also has since reopened schools, but teachers feel that the new guidelines of wearing masks, maintaining distance, and restricting group play will only induce anxiety in children.
In the UAE, distance learning is set to continue until the end of this academic year, but we are yet to find out what the new academic year will look like. For now, parents are concerned irrespective of whether schools reopen physically or if distance learning continues as both options pose challenges and will impact children’s upbringing, as well as their social and psychological wellbeing. We may need to find a balance between distance learning and staggered classroom settings to ensure that students have access to a healthy mix of learning and interaction. Whatever the approach, schools need to ensure that they follow safe reopening measures so that parents have the reassurance they need that their children are not exposed to risk.
Business
Most businesses, where possible, have had to start working from home and adopting flexible hours as a result of this pandemic. The technology available to us has made it possible for most businesses to run just as effectively from home, with virtual meetings, trainings, and webinars that everyone can tune into. This has made many organizations realize that productivity has not diminished, and may in fact, have increased due to fewer office distractions and less time spent on travel. However, working from home also reduces the opportunities for light social interactions such as quick chats at the water cooler or saying hello to colleagues that you don’t regularly interact with. It is important to maintain a healthy balance so that working from home isn’t only about efficiency and delivering results, but also about being engaged and fostering working relationships.
For people that do need to be physically present, office layouts are sure to change as well. Open plans and hot-desking have been the recent trend for most organizations around the world, but this may now also start to look different as social distancing needs to be followed. It makes one wonder whether the closed-up cubicles of the past will make a comeback just as they have in Taiwanese schools. For those that are in customer-facing roles, we are starting to see more glass screens popping up. These social distancing measures in the office and screen protectors between one another may limit how openly we communicate unless we make a conscious effort to break through these barriers and ensure interactions continue positively.
Social Etiquette
The pandemic has also elevated anxiety levels with people fearing that COVID-19 will infect them or their loved ones. People finding themselves close to someone who coughs or sneezes may immediately panic and worry about touching anything nearby. These fears are understandable given the ambiguity of the current situation, where facts about how long the coronavirus can survive in the air or on surfaces change constantly. These anxieties might also inadvertently lead people to be unhelpful, unsympathetic, and even discriminatory to those who are ill. For people with allergies, asthma, and other chronic respiratory issues, coughing and sneezing are habitual, and although not contagious, others may look at them with distrust. This also induces anxiety and unease for those with such chronic symptoms if they are going to be subjected to unkindness. It is crucial to rationalize one’s fears so that empathy is not lost amidst this pandemic.
Another critical factor is the use of face masks and whether this becomes a long-term accessory. Face masks may prevent us from seeing facial expressions, emotions, and visual cues, which can be particularly difficult for the deaf and hard of hearing who rely on this to build rapport and enhance communication. Deaf associations in several countries, such as France, Belgium, India, and China have been calling for transparent face masks to become more readily available. Charities and entrepreneurs in Indonesia, Thailand, the USA, and Italy have also taken it upon themselves to meet this demand. Transparent face masks will not only help the deaf but countless others such as people who may not speak the same language, interpreters, people experiencing confusion and anxiety, as well as children, among others.
Changes to social etiquette as a result of the pandemic will also mean that we may not be greeting each other in the same ways again. Handshakes, hugs, the confusion of how many kisses to plant on each cheek, and the traditional Gulf “nose kiss” (khashm) that we are accustomed to seeing may become a thing of the past. We may start to lose some of our customs, so what will these be replaced with? Greetings may be replaced with a nod of the head, a wave – but as social beings, will we be able to build and foster relationships without human touch?
Entertainment
The face of entertainment is also starting to change with a lot of things available online and from the comfort of our homes such as Netflix movie nights, Zoom birthday parties, and live shows. Even though so much is now possible from home, people will still want to step outside, and so the entertainment industry has also had to kick it up a notch to cater to this new demand. We are already seeing a surge of drive-through cinemas across the world and just recently in the UAE again. While these have been popular in the past, they had been replaced by bigger and better cinematic experiences, such as Dolby surround, 3D, 4D. But the situation now calls for this comeback.
Dining is also changing as restaurants have had to adapt to the social distancing requirements while still being open to customers. While takeout and delivery have become the preferred approach, people will still want to dine in restaurants that can assure minimal human touchpoints. In Amsterdam, a restaurant is set to trial a new concept with mini “greenhouses” lined up on the waterfront that will allow a group of up to three people to dine in a safe yet cozy setting. Staff at this restaurant will be required to wear protective gear, and meals will be slid through the greenhouse doors and served on wooden boards. Similarly, a rural Swedish restaurant has plans to install a clear “sneezing fence” at shared tables so you can still see and talk to people without the fear of being sneezed on. In Australia, a restaurant owner has plans to use cardboard customers to fill up the empty spaces required for social distancing and playing background noise to simulate the buzz of a busy restaurant. Innovative ideas are arising as a result of this pandemic and the need to enable social interaction again, but costs and revenue will be a deciding factor, particularly if the number of diners has to be restricted.
We are living in such an unpredictable time and are witness to a whole new way of living. The question remains about how we are going to embrace these changes. Can we be a part of making this shift, or are we just going to wait and watch to see how the world unfolds? Are there steps we can take as consumers to support small businesses who may not otherwise survive this pandemic? Whatever our roles are in this evolution, we have to ensure that humanity comes first, and while the changes are to ensure our safety and wellbeing, we must not lose our compassion for others in the process. Our values must continue to include kindness, integrity, and respect for all.
References
https://www.designboom.com/design/student-creates-transparent-masks-deaf-hard-of-hearing-04-08-2020/
https://www.theclearmask.com/product
https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1186585.shtml
https://diginomica.com/six-ways-business-changed-covid-19
https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/anxiety-and-fear-from-the-tip-of-the-coronavirus-spear/
https://www.whatsorb.com/community/coronavirus-lockdown-unlocked-safe-eating
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