Will life be ever the same?

Wearing face masks, having a sanitizer ready at all times, wiping surfaces with a tissue, limiting physical touches to less than bare minimum -- this will be the part of the “new normal” life after the pandemic.

As everyone is slowly crawling out of self-isolation, we are able to observe the impact of the COVID-19 from micro to macro scale in our daily lives raising concerns on how sustainable this new way of life is. Imagine closing a deal and instead of doing a handshake, bumping elbows with being the exchange. Physical touch outside of family members will be limited or might disappear. Even the use of alcohol after a handshake or hug will not be considered offensive.

Humans are naturally social beings. During the quarantine, virtual meetings and gatherings became the norm. And it looks like some people would now prefer to talk in front of a screen than meeting up. Asian countries have been routinely wearing face masks before the pandemic, and now this practice will no longer be limited to cities like Tokyo.

The COVID-19 showed us how fragile our global network is. Leaders are being tested and some have shone brightly by showing a good sense of leadership. Making a country work towards a common goal of containing the virus is not an easy feat. It may not be totally be eradicated right away but constant replanning, reimagining, and realigning priorities will be crucial to fully defeat this pandemic.