Which measures would you like to stay in place once Corona is "over"?

[BelfastSmile]

I just had to collect a parcel from Currys. I'd ordered online. I received an email, which contained a link; when I arrived at the store, I parked in one of the collection bays, opened the email, clicked the link, and they brought my parcel out. Very smooth and easy. Made me wonder whether they'll keep it in place once Corona measures are gone; I hope they do, because it was very easy!

What other measures do you think should be kept?

As a supplement to traditional service, being able to contact the GP and deal with minor queries online or order in a pub with an app is useful. It should not be a total replacement though, and older people (mainly) or those with poor access to technology should not be excluded from society as they are at the moment. Sometimes it is just simpler to walk up and deal with someone face to face (and I mean real face to face, not 2/3s of a face muffled up and unreadable behind a handkerchief mask and half a cm of perspex.) Human interraction is so, so important.

It would be nice if people could maintain a decent arm's length of personal space which is the general guide for the comfort zone. It has been nice not to have people looming over me and breathing down on my head, but I suspect that the worst offenders probably haven't learned what 2m is and never will.

More flexiblity about WFH for work/ life balance or if people feel run-down but not quite ready for being off sick is good, but long term businesses do need an established core back in contact with eachother.

Our council thinks apointments at the tip are a great success... the comments of the local paper reveal that it's too impractical and about 6 other tips/ authorities are taking the brunt of that one...

@TableFlowerss Do you remember this from just before the lockdown? This was a scientist speaking and yet she did it herself!

None. I hate it all and would be quite happy to get back to how it was before.

Normalisation of WFH - as someone who's done it for a decade, seeing so many people realise its benefits was a big "I've BEEN telling you" moment for me this year. Presenteeism and cramming ourselves into shitty commutes to sit in ghastly open-plan offices to do work that could easily be done elsewhere already seems outdated and will seem primitive in a decade's time.

Table service at pubs! No more having to elbow your way through a disorganised crowd at the bar only to be ignored by bar staff who can only apparently see tall men. This summer was bliss.

I did enjoy business travel but I can't deny the benefits of replacing it with virtual calls in a lot of cases. Better for the planet and also better for people in my industry who wouldn't have been able to afford physical travel.

Greater hygiene awareness. The amount of people who needed to be told how to wash their hands was grim. I include masks when ill in this, I think masks have been normalised and I'm fine with that.

Definitely masks in shops in the winter. I live with my dd who is autoimmune. I'm always afraid of passing an infection on to her.

ooh lots - table service in bars and pubs, not having to shake people's hands at work (esp when they've just been to the loo, bleurgh), not having to awkwardly air kiss people. Hand sanitiser. People generally being cleaner. Better hygiene and sanitisation in restaurants. Much cleaner trains and buses, cleaned more regularly. More jobs for people doing all the above. The currys-type thing in shops.

Mask in shops and on public transport. Hand sanitisation stations everywhere. Being able to clean manky supermarket trolleys. Not having to hid kids, having to do the school run etc now that the blokes have to do it too

I'd also say quiet roads and less traffic but that only really applied to Lockdown 1. Worse than ever now unfortunately. For a moment it seemed like more pedestrianisation/cycling lanes/low emission zones would be an incredible silver lining to Covid but frankly it's gone in a very depressing direction since the summer.

Was going to say none of it but the virtual parents evening I'd keep.

I did enjoy business travel but I can't deny the benefits of replacing it with virtual calls in a lot of cases. Better for the planet and also better for people in my industry who wouldn't have been able to afford physical travel.I did enjoy business travel but I can't deny the benefits of replacing it with virtual calls in a lot of cases. Better for the planet and also better for people in my industry who wouldn't have been able to afford physical travel.

I think there will still be some business travel starting up again, just a lot less of it. People will stop and think a lot more when planning it - do we really need to meet up in person, or can this be done online?

Also I'd say that having worked in offices where I sometimes had to help set up Skype conference calls, I always found it needlessly complicated and you had to be "good with computers" to do it. Zoom is so much easier and straightforward and I think people are a lot less scared of it.

I'll be pleased if the increase in handwashing continues. I personally have been quite relieved with social distancing as I don't like people too close to me or touching me. Masks don't bother me, but I've worked in healthcare for over 20 years so I guess I'm just used to them.

I also love the app ordering, menus etc being by QR code. I live in a small village, and a trip to the grocery often took three times as long as necessary because everyone stops to talk or I run into multiple patients who want to talk about appointments or their conditions. I love that now I just rock up to the shop, enter my space number and my shopping is loaded into the boot.

In all honesty I'm not a people person. I'm one of those people whose day to day life hasn't changed all that much, because I avoided interaction to begin with.

[quote tectonicplates]@TableFlowerss Do you remember this from just before the lockdown? This was a scientist speaking and yet she did it herself! [/quote]
You couldn’t make it up! 🤦‍♀️

Appointments for the tip - yessss

Increasing acceptance of people wfh. I did quite a lot before, but with millions of people now showing it is perfectly workable the roads have been SO much quieter. Traffic less and journeys quicker when you do have to travel. Air pollution down. All good, except for the stupid schemes to put in bu lanes in a dangerous way near us (where there never used to be a traffic jam anyway) and the ridiculous 'LTN' schemes where they have stuck a couple of planters at the ends of random roads and stopped people being able to drive into them.

On-line Team meetings for work, save 3 hours in the car to hear the same thing

Same with zoom or other video conferencing media for meetings to do with hobbies, clubs, volunteering, etc. I am keen to go back to leaving the house and meeting up with people again, but sometimes, these can be a lot better than traveling for a meeting.

I hope that we will continue to use our Road WhatsApp Group and retain all the new friendships that have been made.

Oh yes our road WhatsApp has led to loads of “freecycling” and lending of tools, as well as helping each other out with shopping etc. Always quite a sociable road in that people said good morning and had occasional chats with neighbours and things like street parties for jubilee but now people talk more and I know more of their names. That’s been helped as well by someone organising a coffee van to come once a week so not only is nice coffee in your doorstep but you chat in the (distanced) queue.

And more business for our local butcher, baker, Spar and cafe rather than going just to the further away chains and big shops.

Same here with the giving things away and borrowing things AliMonkey

None of it. I can’t wait to not have to queue to get in to shops anymore

I know I've changed, I've been less stressed out with juggling life.

WFH means that I have time to spare. I put the washing machine on when I wait for the kettle to boil, I run the hoover around at lunchtime, go and pick up the shopping on my way home from the school run, and because these jobs are spaced out throughout the day, I have more free time in the evening to spend with DH and DD.

I like the fact that I shop locally now, I will keep on using the milkman, butchers and greengrocers. A full supermarket shop isn't something I want to go back to.

In terms of work, we will continue working from home, our productivity has increased and our CEO is mega hot on everyone ensuring we employ good mental health practices.

Social distancing in shops...just keep your distance !

Remote GP appointments unless the doc really needs to examine something. I'd say at least 75% of appointments I need just require talking.

I hate social distancing in shops too, it's hard to concentrate on what you're doing when you are constantly having to think about how far away you are from everyone else.

Early closing in pubs please! Going back to 11pm cut-off would be lovely, as a customer and as a neighbour.

None of them

Generally having more space, fewer crowds etc and being able to work at home most of the time. Webinars mean that you get a wider attendance from anywhere, you don't need to be within easy reach of London to go to an event.

I don't mind masks, and would be happy to continue to wear them, although I don't like it for more than about 10 minutes.

I do mind hand sanitiser, because this is a virus, not bacteria, and washing your hands is enough. Using hand sanitiser willy nilly is just adding to antibiotic resistance, which is a much bigger problem than covid.

Booking a place in a swimming lane so you can go when it's not busy.

I'd like there to be more awareness of being unwell after. Specifically I mean someone could be coughing and sneezing and generally feeling a bit rotten but still capable of working being allowed to work from home! So still working, supporting the team, being productive (though maybe not as much as normal) but hasn't felt the need to fight through the daily commute to get to work. This is only for the sort of job/roles where this works of course but should lead to fewer germs circulating.

I like the increased hand washing but not the gel.

I'd like to keep the community spirit that has developed

I quite like the masks keeping my nose warm in winter!

@BreakfastOfWaffles

I hope the massive reduction in business travel remains, and the ability for people to work from home a lot more if they wish. I would also love it if my work permanently replace the Christmas party with John Lewis vouchers!

I wonder if any businesses are reading this, and whether they will take any notice, or whether they'll think we're all idiots who don't know what's best for us (eg pushy shop staff in non-covid times, especially in places like Lush and Benefit counters).