COVID-19 has changed every life all around the world. If it was as senior in high school, a college student, a nonessential worker, or especially someone affected with this virus, everyone will have a different outlook on life once the world returns to normal, or as some are saying, “the new normal”. Just two months ago everyone was living their normal life. Waking up, going to school or work, socializing with people around them, and going out. Who would have guessed within the next two months the whole country would be on lockdown with nowhere open to go? There are endless amounts of outlooks on what the world will look like once this is over. The scary thing is no one knows when this will end or how much the normal life will change. Soulaima Gourani from Forbes Magazine stated, “It has us wondering if we’ll ever be able to invite people into our homes, our offices and our stores again” (Gourani, 2020) which left me in shock. This virus is so unpredictable, this pandemic could go on for years.

            This pandemic has allowed people to sit at home and just think; think about the little things. People used to always take the little things for granted. Going out to dinner was just another night, going to your friend’s house right down the road was part of your daily routine, and going to school and work was a dread. During the quarantine, people began to realize how much those little things meant to them. Personally, I used to always wish class would get cancelled when I was back at school. If I knew almost my whole second semester would be taken from me, I would have never complained about going to class. Allowing people to sit at home to think about their everyday lives could be a blessing in disguise.

            People are complaining about not being able to travel or go out much, but they do not seem to grasp the effects that come along with it. Health care workers are risking their lives every day in order to treat those who have come into contact with the Coronavirus. One health care worker who was interviewed by the New York Times said, “I do have gloves, but I just ran out of masks and I have no idea where I’m going to get any from” (Valentino-devries, Lu, & X, 2020). Unfortunately, people who are just staying home and are not required to work in front of infected people every day are hoarding essential items. As a result of that, the essential workers are unable to protect themselves, while trying to help everyone who is at home.

         The impact this pandemic is having is a scream for change. An article from Seeking Alpha states, “Why should we spend billions and trillions on weapons to protect against geopolitical threats, but not enough against diseases that results in deaths and destroy economies?” (Morwa, 2020) which really opened my eyes. In America, the amount of money spent on these geopolitical threats verses healthcare is astronomical. I believe after this whole pandemic is over, more money needs to be dedicated to healthcare. Healthcare is such an essential part of everyone’s lives, and in the end, it saves their lives.

            Something as simple as going out to eat is going to have to change tremendously as well. No one quite knows when it will be safe enough to dine out, but once it is chances are it is going to look a bit different from the last time you went out. An article from Bloomberg states, “To survive, businesses will have to make customers feel safe by spacing them out more and finding ways to minimize human contact, such as digital ordering and payment” (Patton & Ludlow, 2020). Two months ago, no one would have thought to change the way a restaurant works.

            With how the past two months have played out, I hope that everyone will want to change how they live their lives normally. I hope everyone cherishes the weekly dinner date with their friends. I hope everyone cherishes the greeting of a hug or handshake. I hope everyone continues to take precautions about their health in order to help prevent something like this to happen again. Most importantly, I hope everyone is able to see there family soon.

References

Gourani, S. (2020, April 21). America After COVID-19. Retrieved May 3, 2020, from  https://www.forbes.com/sites/soulaimagourani/2020/04/20/america-after-covid-19/#51a4bff43178

Morwa, R. (2020, April 10). Life After COVID-19. Retrieved May 3, 2020, from https://seekingalpha.com/article/4336698-life-after-covidminus-19

Patton, L., & Ludlow, E. (2020, April 16). Going Out to Eat Will Look Different WhenLockdown is Lift. Retrieved May 3, 2020, from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-16/going-out-to-eat-will-look-very-different-when-lockdowns-lift

Valentino-devries, J., Lu, D., & X, G. J. (2020, April 3). Location Data Says It All: Staying at Home During Coronavirus Is a Luxury. Retrieved May 3, 2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/04/03/us/coronavirus-stay-home-rich-poor.html

I uploaded a picture of me and almost all of my cousins and my two grandparents because this was the first year we were not all together on Easter, and I hope we will all be able to get together soon.