Good things out of the pandemic

Now that we seem to be coming slowly out of pandemic related lockdowns and other restrictions, I suppose it is fair to look back on what we have learned over the past 12 months and how or if we have improved our lives.

I suppose all of us, being asked to stay at home, have spent much more time with our loved ones than we otherwise would have. However, since cases of domestic violence have sharply increased over the past year, this may not have been such a good thing after all for some us. In the USA, for example, according to statistics a woman is assaulted or beaten every nine seconds, and more than three women are murdered by their husband or boyfriend daily.

But in general the pandemic has brought communities closer together. Community support groups have sprung up around the world with volunteers doing shopping and picking up prescriptions for the elderly and vulnerable. In the UK, a staggering 750,000 people answered the government’s plea for 250,000 National Health Service volunteers.

Having more time on our hands, many of us have also taken the opportunity to reconnect with distant family and friends. I, for example, have reestablished contact with long lost cousins, old school friends and workmates I hadn’t been in touch with for well over 30 years. We are now speaking on the phone about once a month and can’t wait to meet in person again once the restrictions are lifted.

The Covid crisis is also certainly made many of us more appreciate the roles of low paid and yet essential workers: Supermarket cashiers, shelf stackers and delivery drivers are not normally thought of as heroes. But over the past year and across Europe, people locked in their houses have been applauding their medical staff and other key workers who are continuing to go to work despite the health risks.

Then there are the positive effects the pandemic had on climate change: with most of us not or at least less travelling, and many economies having drastically slowed down, the use of fossil fuels has dropped substantially, leading to a reduction of 5.8% in CO2 emissions according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Satellite pictures of the big global metropolises in the spring and summer of 2020 have shown reduced levels of nitrogen dioxide, which can cause respiratory problems and cancer. Air pollution usually causes some 400’000 premature deaths a year in Europe according to the European Environment Agency (EEA). How many have been avoided over the past 12 months?

Let’s not forget the changes to our working habits: we spend less or no time commuting and with many business meetings taking place online, we can get more real work done – or spend some of the hours saved relaxing. Such changes in working habits may also encourage employers to switch from business models that are reliant on face-to-face meetings and fixed working hours. How many office based people will return to their desks once the restrictions are lifted? No doubt many will, but probably not for 5 days a week. No doubt remote working in one form or another is here to stay.

The pandemic, its lockdowns and social distancing also have forced us to slow down and take stock. And particularly in times of crises and upheaval we all generally are more open to reflect on our habits and make changes, whether they relate to our jobs, where we live or our families. I, for example, have recently taken up cooking under my wife’s expert guidance and not only am I pleased with the results, but I also enjoy it.

Almost exactly a year ago I told my 20 year old son when he was feeling down under the restrictions, not being able to meet his friends and attend uni in person, that in a year’s time we will look back and reflect on the lessons we would have learned in the process and how they would have changed our lives in many ways for the better. I got the timing wrong, but I stand by the message.