SHIFTING LIFESTYLE DURING PANDEMIC

Covid-19, a virus that was initially found in late 2019 and then spread throughout the world in 2020 was officially declared a pandemic by WHO on March 11, 2020. Since then, many countries around the world have tried to deal with the spread of Covid-19 virus, including Indonesia. There are many ways that the Indonesian government has taken to prevent and deal with the further spread of this virus, such as tightening the health protocols, large-scale social restrictions or known as PSBB, to vaccinations which are currently being discussed. Of course, all these actions have impacts on our lifestyle every day. In this article, we will discusd the differences in our lifestyle before and after this pandemic.

1. Better Health Awareness

When Covid-19 arose, a lot of people panicked, afraid of the virus infection. On the other hand, this fear resulted in increasing health awareness among people. A lot of people are improving their lifestyle to be healthier in order to prevent themselves from the virus infection. This lifestyle can be seen in better hygiene awareness, meals eaten each day, vitamins taken, and many more. One of the most noticeable differences is hygiene awareness in everyone. They value self-hygiene even more compared to normal situations, this can be seen in people who tend to wash their hands more often, carrying hand sanitizer everywhere, and many more.

2. The Shift in Shopping Habit

Before Covid-19 arose, e-commerce or online shopping was already widely used by a lot of people. But when Covid-19 happened, most offline stores were closed to prevent the spread of the virus. Only certain stores were allowed to open. This situation caused many people to shift or switch to e-commerce to buy their necessities. Based on what many e-commerce companies have offered, such as discounts, free delivery, and other events, this habit seems to have lasted for longer times, even after the pandemic ended.

4. Work or School From Home

During the Covid-19 period, most companies made their employees work from home to prevent the spread of the virus. This situation also applies to students from all levels, even college students have to undergo their studies online. This action is taken to prevent a lot of people from gathering in the same place which can make the chances of virus infection very high. Work and school from home can be supported by numerous application, one of the most important applications is video conference application. With video conference applications, meetings can be held online, as well as learning activities. Although, some problems may occur during that process such as internet connection problems and unconducive situations.

5. How We Socialize

Socialization is perhaps one of the most affected aspects for an individual person. A lot of people are not allowed to go out during this period, still the same purpose, to prevent people from gathering which can increase the virus infection. During this period, actual human interaction is often not possible due to the law enforced by the government last for several months. Even after the law or regulation has been loosened a bit, it’s not the same as before the pandemic started. People should wear masks every time and everywhere,. There is also regulation to limit how many people can be at the same place and  time.

This pandemic has affected many aspects in our life, including our lifestyle. There are many lifestyle changes and not all of them are bad things. This pandemic also taught us to be more careful and healthy in living our lifestyle. At the end of the day, this pandemic will be over and as a famous saying goes, after darkness comes the light.

Reference:

• Listings of WHO’s response to COVID-19. (2020, December 28). Retrieved from WHO: https://www.who.int/news/item/29-06-2020-covidtimeline
• Smith, A. (2021, February 22). 5 Pandemic Trends Likely to Stick Around After COVID-19. Retrieved from 13NEWSNOW: https://www.13newsnow.com/article/life/5-pandemic-trends-likely-to-stick-around-after-covid-19/291-4380927b-7195-45da-bc8a-422c19b98171