To ask your prediction on how things will be exactly one year from today?

[cheeseandhambaguette]

Like many I’m feeling very lost and overwhelmed with the whole COVID situation, particularly the ‘never-ending’ feeling (although obviously very thankful to be alive and well at the same time!). Nobody seems to know what the future may have in store so I’m very interested to hear anyone’s opinions or feelings on what life will be like this time next year?

Without a vaccine... more of the same, plenty of uncertainty, reactive government decisions, really high levels of social disobedience, compassion fatigue by large swathes of people, terrible economy, a lot more deaths and possibly the effects of herd immunity coming into play.

With a vaccine... terrible economy to overcome, lots of long-term health implications being discovered, inquiries about the handling of the situation, lots of mud slinging and blaming, problems with China and probably Russia (I actually feel very worried about that quarter of the world).

I am Nostradamus reincarnated.

I predict a riot.

Also, everyone will still be howling here over nothing of any importance.

Spring didn’t kill the virus this year so I’m not sure why it will next year.

We’ll also have a no deal Brexit to contend with so probably a deep depression and civil unrest. So that’ll be fun.

I think we’ll still have Covid but we’ll have a vaccine that is partly effective and better treatments. Science is amazing

Yeah, vaccine. but the economy will have tanked.

I will be sat waiting for a second set of GCSE results affected by Covid!

I think that in a year's time we'll be past the worst. Someone up thread mentioned the 1918 Spanish flu - that took about 18 months to fade out (without a vaccine) so I'm hopeful this will be no worse.

The economy will be fucked though.

I'm broadly optimistic. Improved treatments and a vaccine will make next summer more normal. If our new normal includes some level of social distancing and mask wearing I'm okay with that.
Brexit however will throw up a lot of problems and add to the pain of next year's recession.
Thank god Trump will be long gone (fingers bloody firmly crossed).

@GarlicSoup Lancashire and Yorkshire, probably.

the new normal.
social distancing
hand hygiene
higher tax/ni

@SarahBellam

Spring didn’t kill the virus this year so I’m not sure why it will next year.

We’ll also have a no deal Brexit to contend with so probably a deep depression and civil unrest. So that’ll be fun.

No one said that though.

I think....

1. there will be a Covid vaccine, but it will be limited to the elderly, high risk and health workers as they try desperately to get it out to the whole world.
2. every day life will be as normal but mask wearing (even while not govt mandated) will be more common, especially in winter.

THe economy will have taken a hit....
3) Property prices will flatten but wont fall as the government will prop things up/ensure no forced sellers etc.
4) unemployment will be up, especially among the young who've missed out on that critical first job
5) there will be a general reduction in people moving cross border for work/study, which will hit certain sectors - universities, agriculture.
6) we will probably have had to have some tax hikes in a desperate bid to pay for the colossal bill that is furlough. On the subject of furlough, there will probably be an enquiry ongoing into employers who have abused the scheme in a bid to recoup money.
7) workplaces will have changed- home working will be more accepted, and this may change the london property market long term - why scrimp to live in a shithole in zone 4 when you could move an hour and a half away.

Rich/poor divide will have worsened again. The rich are far better cushioned from this and for them, life will continue.

@JeSuisPoulet, I'm glad you posted that. I feel the same, but didn't want to be seen to be a pessimist. Imo, the only way of Covid not still being a thing will be a successful vaccine and massive vaccination programme.

The combined effects of Covid and Brexit will lead to high unemployment, businesses going under, closed down shops, homelessness and increasing inequality.

If there's no vaccine, herd immunity will (hopefully) reduce the level of infection, but there will still be spikes and "local lockdowns", and mask wearing/social distancing will be the norm. My biggest fear is that Covid immunity might prove to be short-lived or of viral mutation, so that existing immunity no longer affords protection.

I read a really interesting New York Times article which said suburbs are doing much better than city centres because so many people are working from home. Don't get me wrong, there will definitely be a recession and it will definitely be shit. But I predict lots of suburban high streets will have side streets closed to traffic, restaurants with table cafes, heaters and blankets for patrons so that can eat outside even in winter. Stalls on the pavement for small shops who can't socially distance. Community groups coming together for children in lockdown over Christmas etc, socially distanced Zoom pantos. Lockdown was hard, but I think people really surprised this government with how they came together and wanted to help. I don't think that will go away, but I think it'll be more of a slog and less exciting.
I know a lot of people are very anxious about COVID, but if you have the opportunity I would urge you to try and see DPs and get away, even if it's just a couple of days in a campsite somewhere. (Even in DP's garden!) I think the winter will be hard, and we need to store up memories in the summer while we can (while still being careful, washing hands, wearing masks and distancing etc).

Some of the changes to our behaviour will probably become permanent through habit. People will be more accustomed to wearing masks and standing further away from others in public.

People with outdoor space will use more of it to grow their own food due to distrust of supply lines post Brexit.

Communications technology will continue to develop and jobs in that sector will increase. Fewer companies will rely on centralised office spaces, and will invest in communications tech instead of rent.

Some high street shops will shut. Eventually some of the shop buildings and office blocks may be converted into housing.

Cottage industries will pop up, as with all the individuals selling masks and making scrubs for the NHS.

Past week or so has got you down?
Hasn't got me down. But I just don't worry, let these things bother me. What will be, will be.

But tbf we've had it quite easy. Both Dh and I are employed, working extremely hard, both ds's are fine.

Dh and I went out yesterday for a drink. It felt wierd, strange. Then we called the boys and they came and sat in the pub garden and we all had a burger. We all commented that we were lucky, ie how nice this present moment was, and because covid hadn't hit us as badly as some, so for that we had to be grateful.

I think it will either be pretty much the same as it is now, or we will have an effective vaccine, be back to normal, and 2020 will be a weird memory.

I'm resigned to the former, although obviously hoping for the latter.

Also, everyone will still be howling here over nothing of any importance.

That's the most likely thing to be happening

the only way to stop it Is strict quarantine. Shut borders for a start, otherwise it will never stop

How can we shut borders when so much of our food, not to mention loads of other essential stuff, is imported? If we were to rely on just what is produced/manufctured in the UK, we'd have to have food rationing. Parts for machinery would no longer be available. We'd run out of petrol and oil.

I suppose restricting business and personal travel might be enough, and strict infection control measures for those working in freight, but it wouldn't be foolproof. And the measures themselves might mean no-one wanted to drive a lorry full of stuff to the UK anyway, plus it would be hugely expensive.

I think it'll have burned out and we'll be back to normal in terms of movement etc. Even with the ripples of cases increasing, hospitalisation and deaths rate is still flat. I think it'll become increasingly mild and life will go on.

I'm depressed at the thought though that the restrictions on us and our children will probably be depressingly slow to catch up. Group activities at school, being able to sing etc. Can't see when those are going to come back and they're desperately needed for schools to not be miserable soul destroying places.

The economy on the other hand, we've seen nothing yet. It's totally destroyed, we just can't see it yet. Our children's children will still be paying the price.

What a ray of sunshine I am.

By Easter as the spring weather naturally supresses the virus

You mean we went through 3 months of lockdown for nothing, and could have just waited for the weather to do its job?

I don't think so!

Ah OP... what a question to ask of AIBU with its cohort of pessimists!
Seen as nobody knows, and my opinion is just as valid as the miserable ones...
I predict that the vulnerable will have been vaccinated, that the virus may well still be circulating but amongst the healthier of the population. This in turn will mean that we can end social distancing and the economy will be fully open... lockdown was to stop the NHS becoming overwhelmed after all. No need to lock down if the group of people who would need hospital treatment have been vaccinated!

I think working life will have gone through a major culture shift. Many more companies will allow home working more often and people will have a better work/life balance as a result. This in turn will lead to a happier population - and a more healthy one because people will have more time at home to work out on there lunch break and cook decent meals. No more 2 hour commute and falling in to the door at 7.30 with a take away every evening.

*their
I hate this phone

I also predict that on here there’ll be about one thread a week called “AIBU to sort of miss lockdown??” and it will turn into a vicious bunfight every single time

I think that those of us who haven't minded lockdown too much will carry on with what are, for us, the best aspects of it , tbh.

Neither of us want to go back to working in an office (and I retire in a year anyway), we enjoy our own company, so won't be rushing around meeting up with loads of people, we've realised we spend loads of money on pointless crap and, apart from the occasional social outing and holidays, I doubt if we'll change much.

DP doesn't seem at all fussed about not seeing his family, and mine now consists of just my brother, who is a recluse, so that's been no hardship for us. We're both much more chilled and I've discovered I like gardening - what's not to like?

His lockdown beard might have to go though!

The high street was going to go anyway. This has just been accelerated. Hopefully the government can work out some sort of inner city living to replace it. Flats, with gyms, coffee shops, shops that don't work on the internet, restaurants. It would be terrible if our city and town centres were no go areas.

If we have a vaccine, it will cover the rich and western world. So I think we will be watching the third world reach herd immunity which won't be pretty.

There will be a recession. Many companies will take the opportunity to bring in automation, and a lot of people won't just lose those jobs, those jobs just won't exist. How people decide to spend their free time will dictate how pleasant our society is.

I have long held a suspicion that asymptomatic people are just storing the virus for winter. So I expect this winter to be bad, and I think we will lose a lot of care homes as they won't have the numbers to sustain them.

Vaccines will work a bit, so eventually we will reach a normal. But nothing will be quite the same as it was.

Personally I think covid wise we'll be in a much better position.

But economics and employment will have been hit badly.

I heard Whitty say a few weeks ago some comment about next spring sort of being the beginning of the end of the pandemic during a briefing. Can't remember his exact words but it definitely hinted at bed spring being the point at which restrictions could start being lowered more towards normal.