The Siren of Novgorod

After being in hiatus for 4 but actually, 6 years, why not re-starting or to be exact opening my new blog with Covid-19?

Who thought 2020 is going to become an extraordinary time?

We are facing the plague. Cafes and restaurants are closing, malls only open their grocery store sections, school is on break, most people work from home and millions are losing their jobs.

I hope you are fine or in better conditions than a lot of people. Let us talk about how things are going to be back to “normal” in the next couple of months, at least where I live.

What is the new normal that we are going to have? The vaccine is not yet ready until probably next year, so we are kind of have to with Sars-CoV-2 or Covid-19, until it is gone or the vaccine is distributed.

What is our new normal will be? and how businesses will run? I am not an economic or business expert, I learned Social-science, I want to bring general issues in it.

It changes how we see the world

This question is placed for Millenials and Generation Z, did you enjoy spending time with your family 24/7 pre-Covid? Or did you chose to chill with friends, work extra hours to boost your carrier, and not answering to your parents’ call as often? I did most of it, not going to lie.

We forget to spend more time with our family or even yourself because we often focus on work and the future. This ‘social-distancing’ situation makes us realize the meaning of all of these little things that we took for granted. Have we ever thought that hugging your parents and grandparents is a luxury now? Have we ever think that sipping some coffee in our favorite cafe will be impossible to do?

Now we have more time to think about our life and lifestyle now. Human’s lifestyle is one of the reason why all of these horrible things happened, including the pandemic.

After the pandemic, people will appreciate their time with family and love ones. Everyone would be grateful with all the little things that they could do outdoor and in groups. People will probably live more positively,and enjoy the present. Mindfulness will be an even greater trend after this.

We will be more aware with how our lifestyle will impact the earth. I believe, our over-consumption behavior is the one that creates cross-contamination between wild-life and the usual things that we consume. It will be better that we listen more to the scientist, to prevent any more troubles in the future.

It changes the healthcare industry

The whole world are struggling to meet the needs of PPE that required for protecting their medical workers. The shortages probably caused by lack of production but could also be due to the number of people who hoarded them.

We also realized how most countries do not have an adequate national healthcare system (The Brits, Germans, and Scandinavians should be really grateful for their health systems). We can see how the health care business is not effective; the production flow of medical supplies has not yet become a priority. There are also various obstacles at the administrative stages.

The health industry is one of the most expensive industry but it grows very slowly. Therefore in the future, the government has to give more financial support to this sector, especially to increase its capacity for domestic consumption.

Covid-19 is not the first deadly illness caused by Coronavirus in the last 20 years, but we do not even have a basic vaccine for it. This is because the process of making vaccines is very expensive and highly dependent on market demands. When the demand decreases, the research will be discontinued.

Most of the vaccine research institutions also do not have the capacity to mass-produce. Usually once the vaccine is ready, it is no longer in demand. The health industry now realizes the importance of prioritizing research for vaccines and drugs, also the production of medical equipment.

Nowadays, the medical industry, government, and society are aware of the importance of increasing the healthcare system for the elderly and the vulnerable. After the Covid-19, we have to change the system that guarantees their life so they will not just be another number that falls during the pandemic.

It Changes science and technology

Now science and technology are showing their strength. Many politicians used to belittle SARS-CoV-2 and not listening the scientists when they warn them about the virus. This caused Italy, Spain, and the USA to become centers of the outbreak.

Reconnaissance technology is proven to play an excellent role in combating Covid-19 . China uses drones for contact tracing. While South Korea uses rapid test technology and GPS surveillance to detect, track, and isolate infected people and those who come in direct contact with them.

The government and the people (especially in democratic countries) have to partially sacrifice their freedom for a while in this situation, for the sake of the safety of the community.

It’s also proven that telemedicine or virtual health analysis technology is very reliable. Doctors can still provide consultation to remote patients and they are protected from harmful viruses. Patients also do not need to travel to the hospital and potentially spread the virus everywhere.

It changes the fashion industry

The fashion industry is one of the most affected industries by Covid-19. For the fast fashion itself, the workers and supplies are usually from developing countries, mostly China. The production has stopped since the lock down until the reopening of factories in April. For the high-end and luxurious brands, retail shops have been closed, fashion week is canceled, some orders are canceled and supply has been stopped due to lock downs.

The designer and the purchasing team are unable to do fabric sampling, measurement, fitting, or even presenting their newest collection to the potential buyers in person. Therefore they are realizing the importance of the digitization of the fashion industry.

Ideas to do digital sampling is developing now, the digital catalog also being made to be shown to the buyers. Therefore, people can still buy and see everything digitally, without having to be present in the store. ‘Made by order’ system is another good choice for the future because it could determine how much materials are needed, and it will prevent waste.

People also will think about the supply chain more carefully now and chose to work with local fabric makers and factories rather than buying from abroad. It will be more difficult for personal buyers to travel abroad only for shopping, so this will contribute to decreasing the fashion industries’ carbon footprint.

Most probably, seasonal collections will be eradecated. Designer will be focused more on classical and timeless cuts, using leftover fabric that usually becomes an option after war and recession. Buyers also will only buy timeless pieces that can be worn all year round to save up money post-Covid-19.

All of these is better for the environment, especially the fashion industry is one of the largest contributor to climate change. Brands have to game up their digital presentations and online interactions with buyers. Fashion publishers has to be able to have an ‘engaging storytelling’ to partner up with the brand. Therefore, fashion magazines and influencers will have a bigger role in this rather than models.

It changes the restaurant industry

Dining out has been our cultures for years. In the early 1900s, restaurants used to cater to the rich. Nowadays, especially if you live alone in a big city, going out to get some food a few times a week and chilling in a restaurant or a cafe during the weekend is very normal.

Most restaurants now are closed or do takeaways, catering, and giving free delivery service (even in Indonesia, bars are selling booze and home cocktail delivery service!) as a business pivot. Will they survived? We will never know. Restaurants usually face a high rent rate, and it takes around 3-5 years or more to break even. Restaurants that could hire PR companies, influencers, or marketing companies may survive through coverage.

A lot of restaurants and cafe depends on cheap labor and does not have a sustainable business model. A lot of waiters dan sales person in bar, restaurants, and clubs were fired or got unpaid leave. In the future, the restaurant worker union will demand more security. The rise of the employee’s salaries and the reduce of the sitting capacity will rise the price of the menu.

People also have been developed cooking and baking hobbies during social distancing. According to a survey conducted by AMC Global, most people are eating less fast food, plan on supporting local businesses more, and will try to save and budget more to recover from the Covid impact. Even though the home cook culture probably is going to be back, 41% of the correspondence said they are likely to eat out on the first 30 days after the ease of the lock down.

That being said people will go out supporting local businesses, but they will be more cautious with their spending, and how often they eat out. Take outs, deliveries, and premix or ready to cook meals from restaurants are more preferable in foreseeable future.

It changes our habits

The culture of excessive consumption is what made us experience pandemics and natural disasters. Industrial activities displace the natural habitat of wild animals which made them live closer to human life and accidentally spread the virus.

The online learning system that is currently on the rise may or may not be a preference. People may want to return to have face-to-face meetings. Distance learning has proven its effectiveness as well, especially if you don’t have to physically practice something.

However, online shopping habits will be taking over retail even more, because people already feel the ease of it during the quarantine period.

This pandemic caused many countries to experience lock downs and stall supply chains. Therefore in the future, the government will have more effort to strengthen the domestic supply chain especially related to food and medicine, the they will reduce their dependencies on global supply.

Co-working spaces or office building rentals should start to change their business model. With the unavailability of the vaccine, a lot of companies, especially tech startups are allowing most of their employees to work from home. A lot of companies also found out how effective WFH is, and some are not. Remote working will be more of a norm in the future, it will be cheaper for the company as well because they only need a building or workplace for employees that have to work together in one place.

Freelance workers, as well as gigs workers, are greatly affected by Covid-19. This causes stable office and corporate work to become more desirable. People will also increase their appreciation for the medical staff, social workers, and cleaners who are at the forefront in dealing with a pandemic. This positively increases the interest to work in health, health production, hygiene, and social industries.

It changes the government

In times of crisis, the government could suddenly change policies very quickly by pouring a lot of funds to fight Covid-19 to help its people. Market logic should not dominate various aspects of human life and the government. If the government has always been able to focus and change something quickly, it can certainly minimize the impact of the pandemic.

In the future maybe the government will prioritize the health industry, including preparing preventive measures. In addition, businesses also need to be reviewed. We must be able to build various industries that are more humane, environmentally friendly, and safe.

Now the government is increasingly playing an active role in social life. This will be a benchmark for the community in assessing the work and true nature of the current government.

People are also increasingly encouraged to work in the government. Other than due to the stability, but also they want to do something if an extraordinary event is happening again.

The nationalization of private companies in times of crisis could become a choice in future democracies. The state can now see that some private businesses can hinder the government’s work if they are not willing to cooperate. In a crisis, the production of drugs, medical equipment, and hospitals can be a number of things that need to be taken over by the government when it is critical.

State socialism could be a preferable government system after Covid-19. The government will be more centralized and prioritizing the protection of life. The state is allowed to take over some parts of the economy, especially essential sectors like food production, energy, and healthcare to protect life, so private companies will not be able to take advantage. But one thing to remember, the government has to be able to protect the core functions of the economy and society, without being authoritarian.

Coronavirus is a test of humanity and unity for a nation. Our efforts to maintain solidarity and cooperation to defeat this crisis will be a valuable lesson. If it works, we should be able to optimize our joint efforts to fix the problem of climate change, and able to address social and economic issues faster.

It changes our lifestyle

After being locked up for months because of a pandemic, people will look for freedom to entertain themselves. such as at the end of the Spanish Flu and World War I. We are increasingly aware of the importance of community, paying more attention to mental health, and looking for happiness within themselves.

People will appreciate home cook more because, during this pandemic, many people are staying at home and cook. Cooking will be a new emerging hobby and habit, especially for younger generations. We will better appreciate food quality, the consumption of healthy food will increase, and we will enjoy meals with family more.

Being confined for weeks or months makes us aware of the importance of open public places to relax such as parks and fields. Do not be surprised if there will be more public places open in the future. We are also encouraged to have more positive contribution to humanitarian, environmental, and health issues.

Freedom and democracy may also change. The public will demand more transparency in the government and health sector. The public will listen more to scientists’ advice and can be more media literate.

It changes how we are going to live together

The way we live side by side will change. On the negative side, the pandemic increase the racism towards Asians and immigrants.There have been many cases of insults to the abuse that have occurred to people that have East Asian facial features since this pandemic.

However, Covid-19 also changed the world more positively. We have seen how this crisis unites the emotions of all humans as a large community. We work together to slow down the spread of the virus with each other’s capabilities.

We increase our connections to one another. We give support to strangers and help the vulnerable. We also try to educate each other, and fix all of the misinformation that spreads everywhere.

Inter-community solidarity is stronger. Even though it is difficult to deal with Covid-19, this crisis made everyone able to respond as well as possible. Yep, we can see a greater purpose behind it, namely for the sake of the continuity of life.

Reference:

• McKinsey, Covid-19 Implication for Business
• McKinsey, Beyond coronavirus: The path to the next normal
• The Guardian,‘We can’t go back to normal’: how will coronavirus change the world?
• Politico, Coronavirus Will Change the World Permanently. Here’s How
• BBC, How will coronavirus change the world?
• Financial Times, Light after the lockdown — the future of fashion
• Forbes,Designer And Supply Chain Digital Revolution: How COVID-19 Is Changing The Fashion Industry
• The Guardian, Restaurants will never be the same after coronavirus – but that may be a good thing
• Restaurant and Business Online: How Will Covid Crisis Changes Restaurant Consumer Behavior

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So what do you think will happen in the new normal? Are you regretting some of the decisions that you made in the past few months or a year?

I wrote an almost similar article previously in Rukita.co but in Bahasa Indonesia. I made it more simple there because Rukita Stories is a lifestyle website. You can check it out to know a glimpse of Jakarta’s lifestyle trend and home decor. To check my old blog, go ahead to visit Cinta Carnelian’s Life.