In the last couple of years, we have seen things changing dramatically due to a global pandemic caused by one virus “Covid-19”. It is an understatement to say that Covid-19 has changed us. The entire world dynamic has shifted, and we are living in an unprecedented society. For the first time in centuries, we saw the world come to a halt. Almost every country was under lockdown for months, and even after two years, we still are in war mode fighting the virus.

This pandemic has changed how we work, shop, live, meet and greet one another, and how we travel. In short, it has managed to affect every aspect of our life. Many people lost their lives, and their livelihood, businesses went bankrupt, and people were forced to get hooked into virtual life, with everything becoming online and work from home (WFH) becoming the new normal. Overall it can be said that covid-19 has negatively impacted everyone.

But not all have been bad, as it is said “necessity is the mother of inventions” similarly this pandemic has forced humanity, to make necessary changes for the betterment of all. For example, WFH culture reduces vehicular pollution as well as, reduces migration into densely populated metropolitans. The pandemic also forces the government; to rapidly modernize and improve their medical infrastructure, lockdown of industries allowed nature to heal itself, etc. It is important, that we learn from it all, and instead of looking to revert to the pre-Covid era, we look forward to living in a world that has the best of both. In this article, we are going to list the changes both positive as well as negative:

Changes that need to be reverted:

• Online School/ E-classes: one big change that we saw all around the globe was the conversion of the school to online mode. Although E-learning has its advantages it can never replace classroom learning. Classroom learning is essential as it helps develop social and communication skills among student and hence as soon as it becomes safe, they need to be reopened
• Social Isolation: in the lockdown period people started becoming more and more isolated due to all the lockdown and covid-19 protocols. Humans being social animal, needs to socialize with one another, otherwise, they can suffer various mental problems like anxiety, depression, etc. hence it is of utmost importance that once, things get better, we step out of this social isolation and starts spending time with our friends, neighbor, etc.
• Economic collapse: during the pandemic, we witnessed a global economic collapse, with many small/ medium, and even large industries going bankrupt, and people losing their jobs. Apart from the IT sector, every other sector shows a negative trend. It is imperative for the survival of society that, we can revive the economy
• The boom in E-commerce: E-commerce has become one of the leading industries in the world, and was instrumental in providing essential items to all during the lockdown. We mustn’t make it a habit to completely rely on them. Although E-commerce makes it convenient for its user, E-commerce has led to the rise of a new environmental concern about excessive waste packaging materials.
• Increased Screen time: many surveys have observed that the average time spent by an adult in front of the screen has drastically increased during the pandemic. This trend is not limited to adults as with the rise of E-leaning as well as E-gaming, children are also spending most of their time sitting in front of the screen. This increased time can not only cause damage to a person’s eyes but also impacts children’s physical growth and mood and can also hamper the development of their social skills.

Changes that need to be cherished and learned from:

• Improved medical infrastructure: During this pandemic, the medical infrastructure in almost every country was tested to its full potential. The pandemic acted as a wake-up call for many countries including India. Many new hospitals were constructed; the number of ICU beds was increased, and many hospitals installed Oxygen plants them. It is important, that once the pandemic is over, we don’t go back to the old time, and keep this new medical infrastructure maintained and continue to build it up further.
• Improved Hygiene habits: During this pandemic, people started adopting better hygiene habits like regularly washing their hands, not spitting in the public, sanitization, etc. These habits not only help in reducing the spread of the Covid-19 virus, but many other diseases as well, and people should be encouraged to continue these habits even after the pandemic is over.
• Work from home/ satellite offices: during the pandemic, as office premises were under lockdown, many companies took their offices online. The WFH provided them with an excellent opportunity to decentralize their offices. The trend becomes successful with many companies now deciding to continue this practice as it is much more efficient and cost-effective. Not only for companies but for the overall society. With the decentralization of offices, employees are now moving back to their hometowns, and this reverse migration has provided a breather for the overpopulated metro cities.

The pandemic not only completely changed our lifestyle, but it also shows a glimpse of the future that we are all aspiring to be. During the lockdown, as the entire world comes to a standstill, the factories shut down, and vehicles stopped. We saw our planet heal in front of our eyes. Within a few weeks of the lockdown, our rivers became cleaner, the air became breathable, and the ozone hole started healing rapidly.

Animals come out to play, and many indigenous animals, birds; fishes that were assumed to have migrated come back to their home. The night sky was once again sparkling with millions of stars. All this shows us just exactly how damaging human activities are. And it shows us that there is still hope. The Earth can still heal itself; all we need to do is put in the effort. The pandemic has given us a unique opportunity; it has provided us with a blank slate. It has provided governments and leaders across the world to make big changes that previously couldn’t. Today, we have a choice to either see this pandemic only as a great tragedy or we can view it as an opportunity for a new beginning.