The Covid-19 Afterlife

Social distancing, lockdown, vaccination, ‘r’ number, shielding, NHS heroes are all words which we may not have been consciously aware of before. However, the new normal appears to be a life of better respect for personal space, improved personal hygiene, hoarding food and cleaning supplies, and a pathological fear of viral infections. After 9/11 things mostly changed for travelers despite the severity of the tragedy for those affected by the terrorist attack. However, it is a certainty that the aftermath of the covid-19 pandemic will affect all people all over the world.

I’m getting used to a world where I do not shake hands or arbitrarily hug anymore. This is quite a challenging adjustment. For a Black man, and in particular a Black African man shaking hands is an innate bonding experience. In fact, to not do so is generally seen as a form of aggression. It does seem that meeting with strangers will involve quite a bit of awkwardness while trying to decide how to navigate social greeting. Some people though have reverted to shaking hands and embracing in public routinely even while the risk of infection still exists.

Hopefully the strategic and operational approach to homelessness should change. It is possible to fund short stay shelters and even temporary accommodation for the homeless. However what must not be overlooked is the critical role that support and care will lend to managing homelessness. The need for emotional and mental health support for the homeless and people sleeping rough should not be overlooked. Housing is just one aspect of the problem. The difficulties they face in adjusting back into organised society and reacquiring life skills are daunting. However, indications are that things will return to the normal state of affairs when it comes to consideration of the homeless.

It would appear that working from home is going to become more prevalent now. It might even evolve into becoming the norm. With office space becoming difficult to keep decontaminated a lot of organisations might just start asking groups of workers to work from home as part of the terms and conditions of employment. It is very likely that hotdesking will be ruled out altogether. While working from home is a good way to offer flexibility to workers it can also mean that some workers can be pressured into taking on even heavier workloads. Without supervision, or as a result of personal pressure individuals might find themselves taking on too much work over too many hours.

It doesn’t seem like social distancing will hold out for very long on public mass transit. People are likely to pack themselves into whatever mode of transport they need to get where they’re going. However, it is quite likely that long distance air travel might present people with some concerns. Airports and airlines will have to introduce a raft of precautionary measures but who knows if these will be enough to guarantee safety or offer reassurance. It is very likely that the nature of personal service might change somewhat.

Social distancing will certainly challenge the retail shopping business model. The idea of cramming as many people as possible into an available space will need to be set aside for a while. Some enterprises might be able to get by with controlling traffic but others just won’t be able to survive on having so few people able to enter at any point in time.

Certain sporting activities will need to carefully consider what it will take for them to safely be resumed. Public participation events like runs may have to be limited to elite competitors for the foreseeable future. It is likely to require all participants to be tested for covid-19 and then quarantined before the day the event. I don’t see organisers being willing to shoulder this burden to ensure mass participation.

It does seem that the pandemic is unlikely to have too much of an effect on people’s love lives from what we have seen during the lockdown. The cavalier way in which some people have flouted lockdown guidelines to get their rocks off suggest that viral infection holds no peril for them. If you throw alcohol into the mix then quite a few are not going to know whether they are coming or going; nevermind what distance they are at.

Certainly covid-19 will leave us with a culture of improved hand hygiene. This is long overdue if you ask me. I know for me, I have reacquainted myself with breathing with my mouth closed. Not sure how or when I got away from that in the first place. Different countries are going to get the epidemic under control at different rates so it might be necessary to keep taking precautions quite some time into the future.

The Corona of Our Souls

© Luke Viatour

It is interesting that in an era of globalisation where the world is meant to be wealthier and healthier the covid-19 virus has now left us closed off and isolated. An aunt of mine was telling me how she didn’t think that people who had never been to China should have to deal with the virus. I had to point out to her that even if she had never been to China; in reality China had definitely been to her. Her clothes, shoes, appliances were all most likely manufactured in China. The cost of seeking cheaper costs of production and bigger markets is that we need to do more to jointly manage risks and provide protection for all parts of the world.

We live in a country, and maybe world; where people are more responsive to being cared for than responsible for being caring. People freely go about with very little sense of duty towards one another but expect the ultimate sacrifice if they find themselves in jeopardy. Sometimes in times of crises you suddenly see the masses of people pulling apart rather than together. In the UK this has been demonstrated by panic buying and stockpiling of essential goods by some people.

The UK government hatched a cunning plan to cull the population through herd immunity. This has resulted in some people being refused treatment and ending up dying at home. In the US Congress, the Democrats had to battle it out with the Republicans to ensure that low income families got a reasonable stake of the trillion dollar stimulus package targeted at corporate America. Meanwhile, in the US state of Nevada they drew chalk outlines in a open air car park so the homeless people they intended to house their could be socially distanced. Somewhere else in America some politicians were attempting to stage a sneak attack on abortion rights by declaring abortions a non essential service. The president of Brazil went on Twitter to try and discredit efforts being made to curtail the spread of the disease. In India government workers ended up spraying migrant workers trying to get home with disinfectant meant for vehicles.

The actions of the human race continue to damage and threaten the future existence of life as we know it. The urge to kill and eat rare species of animal contributed to the Coronavirus pandemic that is wreaking havoc globally. The environment is badly damaged, and continuously under threat from pollution and poisoning stemming from humanity’s actions. Animals are being hunted for game and forced into extinction. Today we are being ravaged by covid-19 but twenty years ago it was ‘mad cow disease’ caused by questionable agricultural practices that was causing a healthcare and economic catastrophe.

Government neglect of the homeless has been brought into stark relief during this pandemic. However, the Coronavirus is just one of a myriad of afflictions that homeless people are at risk of. The fact that provision is being made for the homeless in order to combat the spread of covid-19 is an indication that it is financing that is deterring public services from providing effective support to the homeless to get them off the streets and the care they desperately need. There is a need to recognise that there needs to be a mandatory duty on central and local government to provide shelter and emotional care for the homeless. If a person with no fixed abode was found lying in the street with a broken leg they would be admitted into hospital and treated until they were healed. When homeless people, who often have mental health concerns, are found sleeping rough very little regard is given to providing treatment and accommodation for them until they are better. The homeless person has to literally navigate an over complicated bureaucracy just to get listened to.

The need for free access to primary healthcare is being demonstrated everyday. It isn’t possible to have a healthy and safe population if an individual’s means determines their ability to receive basic healthcare provision. Having a healthcare system that is responsive to the needs of the entire population is vital for public health.

The pandemic has forced some us to look inward and really take stock of who we are; and what should be important to us. For some, it has brought out something dark and disturbing in them that they have probably been trying all their lives to conceal. From panic buying and hoarding, to people having house parties and barbecues during lockdown there has been some mind boggling misbehaviour on display. It is understandable that people are scared and fearful for what might happen to them and what the future might hold. However, right now it is only by caring about the wellbeing of those around us that we can ensure our own wellbeing.