Life beyond COVID: Returning to normalcy

design: Nick Allen

An environment where people could walk around and interact with others without the fear of getting ill is a memory that is very familiar to society. As vaccines begin to surface, the idea of returning back to daily life seems more achievable.

Numerous restrictions will be uplifted as vaccines begin to become available to the public as the year progresses. Society will slowly return to what it was before COVID-19, but this will not occur overnight.

There are many different aspects of the previous year to consider when speculating theories of the current year. Many issues, surfaced in 2020, will be carried forward into the current year.

COVID-19 is undoubtedly the most impacting issue that emerged in 2020.

It has affected all aspects of everyday life such as human interaction, education and traveling.

As of Feb. 5, over 57 million doses of the two different variants of the COVID-19 vaccine have been distributed, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Although vaccines have been distributed, COVID-19 will surely be present for most of the 2021 year. It is very likely that the vaccines are a short-term solution and have not been able to be mass produced due to it being relatively new.

It will not reach the majority of the population by spring and will prioritize citizens who are at-risk.

After this pandemic, the world will be better at learning how to adapt and deal with future pandemic situations.

This is true largely due to the fact that this pandemic has caused more government involvement dealing with foreign diseases. More funding is being put into studying modern diseases and finding vaccines.

Traveling will also occur more frequently this year. Traveling abroad is looking more promising due to COVID-19 vaccines

Traveling is a big aspect in daily life and is also beneficial for the economy of foreign countries. This has encouraged them to find a solution that promotes safe traveling.

The regulations will be different for each individual country, but most seem to be focused around the clarification that the tourist has received the vaccine on their passports.

The passports will serve as an international proof of vaccination for any incoming tourist to that country.

These new regulations will certainly increase international travel as safer procedures of practice are being enacted on tourists. It will ensure safety for the tourists, but also the country itself.

As spring approaches, COVID cases will most likely die down due to the warmer climate.

This prediction is largely due to the fact that sports and other activities can be done outside. It allows for a lesser spread, but individuals will still have to abide by the rules of social distancing and masks.

There is little chance that live concerts will return by summer or fall of 2021. Many still see these large gatherings as a threat that will spread the virus.

The vaccine plays into huge consideration when predicting when people can attend these major events in person. Concerts may limit the attendees, stick with online, or enact other restrictions up to late fall.

Cases will also further decrease due to the lack of major holidays in the upcoming months. This will reduce the number of large group gatherings and lessen the spread of the virus.

There is a high chance that all students will return back to in-person classes next year.

Scientists say in-person school is relatively safe when people adhere to the policies and regulation, according to Today.

Overall, the issue of COVID will determine many aspects of everyday life in the 2021 year. The amount of traveling will definitely increase, and many of the regulations set in 2020 will remain in place.