What do you think has changed for good?

[StealthPolarBear]

I don't intend this thread to be all doom and gloom, i suspect some will be positive :.
Work travel and office work. I used to travel two or three times a month, I suspect that will be two or three times a year in post covid times. Prior to this there was a real aversion to using the technology
Handshakes. Never coming back imo.
I really hope packed railway carriages are at an end but I doubt it.

I live on a road with a lot of traffic and not a lot in the way of front gardens. It is a longish road that curves round a bend. I've always found neighbours pleasant, and might wave if we happened to be getting in our cars at the same time, but I knew few of them.
At the end of March, one neighbour pushed a note through every door inviting them to join a road WhatsApp group to keep in touch and see if we could help each other out. It has blossomed into SUCH a lovely community or neighbours and neighbourlyness.
It really is lovely, and such a positive thing to come out of all this

Also, the technology that has come into common use and the realisation that we do not have to travel across the City in rush hour to all be able to attend a meeting together.

The acceptance that actually a lot more people who had never previously been allowed to actually could wfh at least some days a week, even if not all.

Working from home freely and interchangeably.
GP online triage
Multiplex cinemas will not reopen though the small ones might survive.

@BackforGood, sounds exactly like my road and neighbourhood! I'm bayswater, w2

I’m hoping for the end of handshakes, hugs, kisses etc as any kind of greeting, except between people who are genuinely close as opposed to a social expectation for random acquaintances. More frequent hand washing in schools and an end to the expectation that you go to work/school when contagiously ill would be welcome.

I think the way we shop will have changed forever - I will probably never go back to buying most things in actual physical shops, especially town centre chain type shops, not that I did much anyway. It will accelerate the already fairly inevitable reduction in physical shops, and probably also cinemas, restaurants and pubs. I’m not convinced in the long run that’s a terrible thing for the general public although obviously it is for those employed in those sectors.

GP has already said they’re permanently changing how people access appointments and expect much more done on phone/video - I’m broadly in favour of this.

Much more will be done on zoom, much more efficiently. I run a small charitable organisation, it is far far easier to have committee meetings by zoom, they are faster, provoke less chatting/divergence from the topic at hand and no one has to travel. Why did we never try this before?! We will still have some physical meetings, but not every one.

I really hope it will be the end of presenteeism and an acceptance that people can (and should be allowed to) work effectively at home.

I also hope it will put paid to a lot of unnecessary business travel and meetings.

More depressingly, I think lockdown has raised awareness of children dependent on school meals, domestic violence and mental health and I hope this helps those causes get some funding and govt attention.

Agree minipie. Let’s hope it’s remembered as life continues.
Remote IT access for work has improved. Some people have learnt how to wash their hands for the first time.

The earth is healing and we've all rediscovered family values.

Jk.

Lots of special offers on booze for second lockdown due to it coinciding with run up to Xmas. That's about it.

Working from home.
Electronic/ phone contacts with GP (at last).
Baking more cakes.
Virtually meeting family members round the world that I’d never met before.
Walking and appreciating parks more. Even in the twilight.

@OhhCarolina

The earth is healing and we've all rediscovered family values.

Jk.

Lots of special offers on booze for second lockdown due to it coinciding with run up to Xmas. That's about it.

🤣 I like you!

I got a dog out of it. That was good. Ex husband bought a puppy with a woman he'd known 3 weeks. Predictably that relationship failed (cause he's a twat) so end of February I was asked to look after his French bulldog puppy for a few weeks until he got sorted. Then with lockdown his new house purchase dragged on so long that I got to keep the dog! Who I didn't want or choose. Didn't even think I liked dogs in fact because they smell. But now I love him so much and he sleeps on my bed every night.

So glad to see the end of air kissing. I grew up with none, which became 1, 2 and then bloody well 3! Please let that be consigned into 2020's Room 101.

Less hectic lives, fewer after school activities, less socialising so it's nice not to be in a rush. It is a bit of a drudge now we can't meet up with anyone though.

I think we will appreciate seeing people, parties and travel a lot more down the line.

@GrumblyMumblyisnotJumbly

So glad to see the end of air kissing. I grew up with none, which became 1, 2 and then bloody well 3! Please let that be consigned into 2020's Room 101.

Less hectic lives, fewer after school activities, less socialising so it's nice not to be in a rush. It is a bit of a drudge now we can't meet up with anyone though.

I think we will appreciate seeing people, parties and travel a lot more down the line.

I have never air kissed. What a stupid carry on. I don't know where it came from do you ?

The High Street will never look the same again.

End of 5 days a week in offices, I think people will end up have 2/3 days at home.

Changes to the Welfare State, out of work benefits will change, care homes will become part of NHS.

We bought a mash/ mesh something like that and it significantly improved our home WiFi.
Hopefully our bosses could see that WFH has benefits.
The street WhatsApp flourished. We had one already but it became a lifeline. We coordinated the round the clock care of the elderly lady in the street with dementia. We traded vegetables,beer, flour and furniture. We held socially distanced street events.
It turned my art student daughter into a prolific artist and she ended up getting something exhibited in New York.

I may actually not have to work around Xmas this year.

@Sertchgi123

The High Street will never look the same again.

To be honest the high street is just a window for online goods anyway !

I look in the shops and then buy cheaper online. I suspect most people do this unless they want a specific cheap brand such as Primark

Hopefully it will mean less traffic on the roads and less pollution

In NZ so domestically we are pretty much back to normal.

There is definitely more working from home for office based jobs, lots of small organisations have gone completely remote.

Lots of organisations have had to bring forward big strategic shake ups - some CEOs are proving more deft at this than others.

People are taking a sick day for colds, meaning that there is less sickness in general.

I think long-haul international travel will become more expensive as airlines will have smaller fleets. Will cruises ever be popular again?

I know a lot of people have re-evaluated their life. There have been relationship break-ups and new quite serious relationships evolve amongst my friendship groups. We’ve got three COVID pregnancies at work!