Letters2020 is gone, but not the coronavirus, and the world is forever changed

Name: ‘Every day we struggle’, doctors overwhelmed treating Covid-19 cases in hospitals around the world
Uploaded: 2020-12-31T23:00:09.000Z
Duration: 3 min 10 s
Description: ‘Every day we struggle’, doctors overwhelmed treating Covid-19 cases in hospitals around the world

The pandemic presented a test of our collective will. It is hard to foretell what 2021 will be like. Will we return to pre-pandemic normalcy? In some respects, will we even want to?

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Regent Street in London sits empty during what would normally be a busy Boxing Day holiday. Photo: DPA

Letters

Published: 7:00am, 1 Jan 2021Updated: 9:40pm, 1 Jan 2021

The year 2020 was when the world changed irreversibly. Few would have anticipated that Covid-19 would still be lurking around even as the year came to its end. We had celebrated the Year of the Rat with aplomb, oblivious to the harm coming our way which has so far claimed more than 1.8 million lives worldwide. The virus has even mutated, making hopes for the newly released vaccines short-lived.

This change has affected everyone. It has changed how we live, work and play. Perhaps we will never look at education the same way. Is there still a need for massive university campuses when learning can be done online with multitudes attending a webinar in one go? Is there a need to hire throngs of instructors when a few would suffice? Is there a need for office blocks in central business districts when we can hold meetings via Zoom and instant social media?

We saw eateries close for good as people deserted the streets. Some old retail brands disappeared. Out of fear, we stayed away from the crowds, even our familiar circles, just in case. We flinched at the sound of coughs. Playgrounds were cordoned off while grass grew around them. It became a picture of forlorn life like we could never have imagined.

The pandemic presented a test of our collective will. How we observed social distancing measures to check the spread of the heinous invisible enemy perhaps pulled people closer, despite the physical distance among us. The many social support networks offered a glimpse of hope that the worst shall pass and that we could one day leave our homes free from our masks.

It is hard to foretell what 2021 will be like. Will we return to pre-pandemic normalcy? In some respects, will we even want to – now that we have experienced working from home?

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‘Every day we struggle’, doctors overwhelmed treating Covid-19 cases in hospitals around the world

Will we question the fundamentals of how we are organised as a society and reapportion the responsibilities? Will we see more clearly the efficacy of globalisation, just as we assess the efficacy of vaccine distribution? Will we awake to a new world order?

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} The pandemic presented a test of our collective will. It is hard to foretell what 2021 will be like. Will we return to pre-pandemic normalcy? In some respects, will we even want to?

The pandemic presented a test of our collective will. It is hard to foretell what 2021 will be like. Will we return to pre-pandemic normalcy? In some respects, will we even want to?