Is this the end of the world as we know it?

[SubordinateThatClause]

Just that really. Not trying to be to hyped and dramatic about life. How far reaching do you think the consequences of this thing are going to be - economically, socially, politically? Will life ever get back to how it has been?

Let's face it. It's not going to just go away is it? Might just save the planet if the pollution reduction over China is anything to go by though.

No, it's likely to be a small timeframe, and however horrific people will be back to their usual ways soon enough I expect.

I think we’ll end up as a cashless society as a result of this. The local pet shops have said that they’re only going to be accepting cards from tomorrow. I can’t see them changing back, once that habit is established. The government will be delighted. They’ll be able to monitor even more about us.

Yes it is. This will have an impact on the way we live closer to WW2 than to 9/11.

It's not just the Coronovirus pandemic for us, is it? Its that followed by very very hard Brexit.

As a remainer, I actually don't think BREXIT matters anymore. The EU is done after this. All EU nations have locked down borders, stopped free movement of people and blocked export of emergency medical equipment to other member states.

The EU is over

I don't believe that for a moment.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.ft.com/content/d3bc25ea-652c-11ea-b3f3-fe4680ea68b5

I do think this will put the EU under immense strain.

I wonder if anyone who thought this wouldn't change things still holds the same opinion?

You know what I said earlier about perhaps the Americans would realise that health care for the poor makes for a healthier society for the rich? I've just seen reports about gun shops having long queues outside, so I guess the average thought process there is a little different from mine.

Interesting rereading this thread that I started just over a month ago. Feels like forever!

You know the previous “normal” was based on the consequences of previous epidemics and diseases. Free love was nipped in the bud by STIs and AIDS and stopped being normal but we got on with it. If things stop this time it will seem very normal eventually

Still feels like new normal will be very very different

Society and the way we live has always been evolving. After other pandemics things return to what we would consider more of a normality, with the advances we have in science etc, no reason to believe it won't be the same now. Some things will take a while to get back to how we know them, and other things won't, but many will.

@SubordinateThatClause

Still feels like new normal will be very very different

Not as different as some people were expecting when this thread was first posted. Most places I go feel almost normal now, to be honest. There are signs and people are social distancing but it hasnt changed anything fundamentally (in my life anyway).

The main difference for us is DH working from home and no toddler groups / play groups to go to and no swimming.

No. People have recovered from pandemics in the past.

70,000 years ago there was some kind of catastrophic natural event that almost wiped out the human race. At first scientists thought it might have been a volcanic eruption, but that idea has been dismissed in recent years. One possibility is a highly contagious disease that spread around the globe. Only a few thousand people survived the event, our ancestors

A cheery thought for you all