c4countdown

As we steadily emerge blinking from our grottoes after numerous weeks of recreational curve-flattening, what we knew has gone and a brave new world now will rise. Along with far more people working from home, aversion to handshakes and hearts skipping beats every time someone in the near vicinity coughs, how else with things be different?

With people wanting to try and prevent transmission through cash, will this lead to coins and banknotes being historical relics? (No-not yet IMO) And will the drop in commuter numbers lead to privatized railway network falling to pieces? (Possibly-to early to tell, but the death knell rings for franchising). Anything else?

The end of capitalism hopefully.

Cash will still be a thing but probably used less frequently. The contactless limit will probably remain at £45 rather than £30.

Banks will probably move as much of their services as possible online, likely leading to far fewer high street bank branches.

Working from home will probably take off big time. Perhaps even to a majority for office-based jobs.

Personal hygiene awareness should remain raised. So more frequent (and far more thorough) hand washing and using a tissue or dabbing to cough or sneeze rather than coughing or sneezing into one's hand (or just into open air if you're a truly disgusting bastard).

Raised awareness of vulnerability to disease too, especially with elderly people. So maybe no more sending the kids off to granny's when they're off school with the flu.

On a related note, hopefully a huge push towards health and fitness. So more government backing of healthy eating and exercise.

Maybe more exercise in general as people who don't normally go walking/running/cycling have started doing so recently just as an excuse to go out.

More appreciation of outdoors, nature, and wildlife.

Hopefully more respect for the environment, as related to above and also once the reduced emissions during this period are recognised.

Much less air travel, probably less rail and bus travel, so likely more car use and hopefully more walking and cycling (although this will probably be offset by more WFH so less commuting). Maybe more sea travel, with cabins, etc, to swoop in on some of the lost air travel business.

Big one: mass gatherings (big concerts, festivals, large conferences, etc.) likely to never be viewed the same way by many people. They'll definitely still happen as they seem a manifestation of an intrinsic part of human nature, but they'll forever be associated with contagion risk.

Sports will change drastically, so much so it's hard to predict the specifics. An almost clinical level of hygiene will be applied and the spectator experience may never be the same, as with other mass gatherings.

Handshakes are probably a thing of the past, or at least will seem 'old fashioned'.

Shopping will change a lot. Some of the supermarket measures will probably stay on indefinitely.

Hopefully an increased gratitude towards emergency and health services and workers. Also hopefully an increased respect for smaller, independent businesses that have been hit hard by this situation rather than an obsessive devotion to massive chain businesses.

Attitude towards medical sciences could change drastically. Maybe more respect for them, maybe more scepticism of them. Likely both: a new polarising topic to divide us.

Likely a hit to the 'open borders' mentality and an increased regard for border security. Possibly going beyond the point of reason and extending to outgroup hostility/xenophobia, but hopefully not.

Maybe I'm a hardened sceptic. But I reckon that all of the changes that would have happened in the next ~10 years or so (but have been accelerated by the pandemic) will remain, and everything else will fairly rapidly reset to exactly how it was before.

One thing that I should have mentioned is widespread face-mask usage. Some countries in the Far East already saw regular public face mask usage courtesy of previous outbreaks (China had SARS in 2002, South Korea had MERS in 2015) whereas those doing so in the West would garner weird looks. It definitely won't garner weird looks and it could possibly be the norm for a lot of places, especially on public transport, once things return to 'normal.'

Sam Cappleman-Lynes wrote: ↑Mon May 18, 2020 10:18 am Maybe I'm a hardened sceptic. But I reckon that all of the changes that would have happened in the next ~10 years or so (but have been accelerated by the pandemic) will remain, and everything else will fairly rapidly reset to exactly how it was before.

I think the social attitude changes I predicted will mostly be just for a minority. The majority probably won't change their worldview at all or learn anything from this. Just like how if you go to a supermarket now there are plenty of people who clearly don't give a shit about keeping distance.

As for political changes, who knows? If we weren't already past an event horizon as far as politics is concerned, we certainly are now.

Matt Rutherford wrote: ↑Mon May 18, 2020 10:40 am One thing that I should have mentioned is widespread face-mask usage. Some countries in the Far East already saw regular public face mask usage courtesy of previous outbreaks (China had SARS in 2002, South Korea had MERS in 2015) whereas those doing so in the West would garner weird looks. It definitely won't garner weird looks and it could possibly be the norm for a lot of places, especially on public transport, once things return to 'normal.'

Good point. Some Easternisation of Western culture is possible in specific areas.

I'm kind of leaning towards agreeing with Sam here - I don't think we're going to see as much change as some people are expecting, more like a gradual rebuilding of what we had before, though with a few extra measures added in.

Working from home may be encouraged and handling of cash will almost definitely change - cashiers will probably be wearing gloves from now on and money may be washed frequently, since notes are now polymer and thus waterproof barring the £50 (which isn't really used and we're due the polymer one in any case). Some of the things Cal mentioned will almost certainly be a feature, too. I'm not sure it's entirely feasible to just drastically alter society, though, and I don't think that that is what will happen.

Mark James wrote: ↑Sun May 17, 2020 11:47 pm The end of capitalism hopefully.

Nah , nannies , cleaners and estate agents all back at work already Golf courses and Tennis courts open.

Hopefully a full review into the mainstream media here in the UK. Its reporting has been far too concerned with "gotcha" questions for the government and asking rubbish.

Before this turns into "muh you can't handle the scrutiny", compare the following:

"Prime Minister, how is the government going to address the shortfall in PPE in care homes?"
"Prime Minister, do you accept that you've killed people in care homes without PPE?"

The first one is scrutinising, the second one is just tabloidism from Sky.

Rhys Benjamin wrote: ↑Mon May 18, 2020 1:35 pm Hopefully a full review into the mainstream media here in the UK. Its reporting has been far too concerned with "gotcha" questions for the government and asking rubbish.

A review into the mainstream media would be a good thing, but how they phrase questions to elected officials is far down on the list of concerns. I'd start with the outright misinformation published.

We will go into lockdown any time anyone sneezes in China. If coronavirus had happened before bird flu and ebola, SARS and MERS, I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have blithely ignored them in this country.

Good to see Spain is opening its borders in July , they are taking an economic gamble that the UK will have stopped it's 14 day quarantine law.
Although what's to stop people doing a ' Cummings ' ( verb. to flout the law without actually breaking it ) and flying back via Dublin ?

I cannot BELIEVE the energy going into the Premier League compared to even international cricket. On the same day they announce the Premier League will be back on 17 June, they announce no domestic cricket before 1 August, pushed back from 1 July. What a piece of shit.

Rhys Benjamin wrote: ↑Thu May 28, 2020 2:48 pm I cannot BELIEVE the energy going into the Premier League compared to even international cricket. On the same day they announce the Premier League will be back on 17 June, they announce no domestic cricket before 1 August, pushed back from 1 July. What a piece of shit.

Cricket is a low-energy game so it doesn't get much energy. It stands to reason because it's people mostly standing about.

Because you're much more likely to catch it playing cricket.


(If anyone knows of any jobs going at the Christmas Cracker Factory.....)

As most of my family are at least a Cummings eye test away, with the new measures allowing me to see my children and my mum and sister in their respective gardens , with the caveat that you are not allowed to use their toilets , sales of adult diapers will be on the increase.....or sales of lucocade
Edit.
From the beginning of June , before anyone accuses me of flouting the rules.

I think I heard a minister on the radio this morning saying you are allowed to use their bathroom, so long as you 'thoroughly wipe down afterwards'.

A few weeks ago, me and a few friends were in a debate over to what extent the government is responsible for non-compliance with the lockdown regulations. During that conversation, the line "it isn't [Boris Johnson's] responsibility to wipe 70 million arses" was used.

Apparently now it is!

I'm posting this here.
First they came for Little Britain , then they came for Fawlty Towers , next will be 'allo 'allo , Dad's Army and
all The Simpsons containing Apu.