The coronavirus is the largest global phenomenon that has happened within the last hundred years, and the scale of that event will have lasting effects on the future of our society. Although it has had disastrous effects on the population, understanding how it will shape the future can lead to improvements and our societal adaptability in the changing world. The first step in making positive changes is to look at the systemic problems that correlate to worse outcomes, and to think critically about progressive solutions moving forward. As time moves forward, what does the future look like after COVID-19? This article intends to discuss problems that we currently face and potential solutions following the most recent global pandemic.
Personal & Societal Awareness
If there is one unique fact about individual humans, it’s that they have the propensity to continually adapt. One year post-pandemic has made it where most people have become intimately aware as to how to navigate society while being conscious of the risks associated with potentially contracting or spreading the coronavirus. Personal protective equipment like face shields and face masks have become staples in most public spheres.
People now more than ever, are aware of what it means to interact in close proximity on both an individual and global scale, as the potential risks involved have become far greater. It can be expected that even after the risks are lowered into a much more manageable scale, that the conscious awareness of our physical interactions and hygiene will continue.
Educational Institutions
If you have kids face shields are required, you’re likely already intimately aware of the problems associated with COVID-19 on education. It’s no surprise that our society was not ready for a pandemic, as the gaps in digital literacy are huge and are closely tied to the economic disparities that lie between the classes. Understanding the disastrous effects this has on future populations, as an entire school year has been disrupted by COVID-19 is important in finding realistic and equitable solutions.
Creating a more digitally literate society has become one of the obvious challenges during the pandemic. The digital learning environments that were created for home based education during the pandemic is a great foundation to build upon in our pursuit of efficiency and accessibility to education in post-pandemic society. The platforms in which students, teachers, and parents communicate and base their learning on can be built upon if continual awareness is maintained even after the pandemic.
Although coronavirus has had disastrous effects on most things in human society, it is possible for the changes that have been made to have lasting positive effects once things return to normal.
