I truly hope the world comes out of this pandemic in a better place than how we went into it. I hope from this time full of fear, uncertainty, and doubt, that we all strive to become more appreciative, positive, and grateful for what we have. There is so much we can all learn from this, I just hope that everyone is smart enough to apply this newfound knowledge.
An article called “How the COVID-19 Pandemic Will Change the Way We Live,” by Elizabeth Svoboda, highlights how the 1918 influenza pandemic changed society, and further explains the changes we may see after our own pandemic. After 1918, “covering your cough grew to be considered common courtesy,” as the action was “unheard of” prior to the pandemic (1). In terms of our own pandemic, Svoboda states that “video chats instead of conference-room huddles are also likely to stick to some degree” (1). Personally, I believe that video chats will not become a social norm once the pandemic is over, as it seems to be easier to just meet in person for most meetings, then try to organize it through technology.
Taking a more economic standpoint, a BBC article “How Will Coronavirus Change the World,” by Simon Mair, addresses the idea of essential jobs, and others he considers pointless. Mair states how “the pandemic is highlighting that many jobs are not essential, yet we lack sufficient key workers to respond when things go bad” (1). I definitely agree that there has been a shortage of essential workers throughout our whole pandemic, but I don’t think that any job is not essential. Any job is important, as it provides a source of income for the person. However, if more people plan to become an essential worker, for example a nurse, they may be struggling to find a job once the pandemic is over, because hospitals will not need the extra staff on a normal day-to-day basis.
Speaking of nurses, the article “How COVID-19 Will Impact the Future of Nurses” by Talia Kirkland addresses the possibility of an increase of nurses. In an interview with the Dean of Nursing at Duquesne University, it was stated that “we will see a surge in nursing [following COVID-19]” (1). I also believe that more people will want to be nurses, or just go into the medical field as a whole.
Lastly, a Forbes article written by Suzy Taherian titled “The New World: How the World Will Be Different After COVID-19” points out how “supply chains will be local rather than global” (1). Taherian explains how many supply chains that span across the globe have been broken as a result of the global pandemic, and comments how “U.S. Companies will look to diversify their suppliers and to favor local suppliers, even at higher costs” (1). I can see this happening for two reasons. The first is that many people will want to support local businesses, since they have been greatly impacted by the quarantine put in place. Secondly, favoring local businesses will create more jobs for Americans, which is beneficial for a multitude of reasons.
Like I said earlier, I hope that the changes we see will be positive. I would like to think that everyone will make better choices because of this event, but we’ll just have to wait and see.
-Kelsey McNamara
Bibliography:
Svoboda, Elizabeth. “How The COVID-19 Pandemic Will Change the Way We Live.” Discover Magazine, Discover Magazine, 17 Apr. 2020, http://www.discovermagazine.com/health/how-the-covid-19-pandemic-will-change-the-way-we-live.
Mair, Simon. “How Will Coronavirus Change the World?” BBC Future, BBC, 31 Mar. 2020, http://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200331-covid-19-how-will-the-coronavirus-change-the-world.
Taherian, Suzy. “The New World: How The World Will Be Different After COVID-19.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 7 Apr. 2020, http://www.forbes.com/sites/suzytaherian/2020/04/07/the-new-world-how-the-world-will-be-different-after-covid-19/#b79e9715d158.
Kirkland, Talia. “How COVID-19 Will Impact the Future of Nurses.” WHP, WHP, 1 May 2020, local21news.com/news/local/how-covid-19-will-impact-the-future-of-nurses.
English 110 Honors Spring 2020 
Kelsey, I really liked the variety you brought to your post by detailing the many different ways in which society may change as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. A point that I resonated with was when you said, “There is so much we can all learn from this, I just hope that everyone is smart enough to apply this newfound knowledge.” It always seems like everyone is on board with making positive changes until the time comes to actually implement action. When fires were ravaging Australia, the world swore we would care about the environment more, yet I haven’t seen many positive changes occurring. While this pandemic is extremely impactful, I hope it is impactful enough to actually cause positive change in society, whatever that may be. Great post!
– Selma Cemerlic
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I really like how you discussed multiple parts of the outcome of this pandemic. I agree with the idea that video calls won’t become a social norm, however, I do believe we will see a surge in workers working from home. Working from home is a personal choice. Some people enjoy working from their own house, others hate it. I appreciate your optimistic first paragraph as well, this pandemic will be a great learning experience for everyone, and I hope the world can come together. Thank you for your post!
-Austin Grimm
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I thought the whole post was structured extremely well. The opening paragraph was captivating, well written, and made me want to read more. I also really liked the way each paragraph was its own quote surrounded by information to enforce and describe the quote. I agree with you when you said that , “more people will want to be nurses, or just go into the medical field as a whole.” People in this time feel like they cannot do anything to help and see social media posts about medical workers and might be enticed to go into that field in the future. I thought it was clever to relate to article about an old pandemic and see how that changed society in the past in order to show the possibilities of what might happen after this current pandemic. Overall, your post had many great sources that helped emphasize your thoughts on the future. Awesome post!
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