Opinion: Creating a New Normal
January 26, 2022
This article is an editorial and was written to show the author’s stance on an issue. It is not a representation of the opinion of CLHS or CCISD.
Two years ago, life changed for everyone around the world. Everyday tasks such as going to work, school, or seeing family and friends, became extremely limited and nearly impossible. It is no doubt Covid-19 has changed our lives. It is now our job to figure out how to navigate our new post-pandemic reality.
No matter how much we may want our normal pre-pandemic lives back, the reality is that normal moving forward will not look like what it did three years ago. Now, things such as working from home, limiting the capacity of people in stores and restaurants, and how people go about working, learning, and even shopping have become a big part of our everyday life. All of this is something the world has managed to adjust to.
When the pandemic began, the entire world was put in lockdown, and the number of places to go was limited causing people to start ordering more online. According to a survey by Mckinsey and Company, online shopping has gone up by 15-30%.
According to Alana Semule’s article, “Many Companies Won’t Survive the Pandemic Amazon Will Emerge Stronger Than Ever,” the spending on Amazon was up 60% during the lockdown of 2020, than it was in previous years. This is a trend that is expected to continue occurring, making online shopping a more common occurrence in our everyday lives. Along with growing online industries students are having to find ways to readjust to how to balance social life and school after two years of isolation, and online learning.
Even though we are past lockdown, Covid can still affect things like sporting events, dances, and whether students get to hang out with friends and go to school if you are quarantined. Last year, dances, school trips, and functions were canceled due to Covid restrictions. Although many of these restrictions are being lifted, things like quarantining still occur. For now, while there are more freedoms being granted in the world of socializing there are also still a few limitations.
If the past two years have taught the population anything it is that we truly do not know what the future will hold, but one thing is for sure. Things will not be the same as they once were moving into the new year, “normal” will forever be different.
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