COVID-19 lockdowns are lifting around the world, and it looks very different from life before. The new normal sees us having to adjust in almost all spheres of life to mitigate the risk of future outbreaks. The way we dine out, shop, learn, and worship are all being changed in this socially distant world—if only temporarily.
But reopening society after a worldwide pandemic won’t be as simple as flipping an ‘ON’ switch. For now, face masks, disinfectants, and temperature scans are among the new everyday protocols in place to help us along the way, as we begin to feel life as we knew it before the pandemic was a long time ago.
Also read: Is it time to make travel plans as destinations around the world reopen?
So, Here Is What “Reopening” Looks Like
1This Danish supermarket has a hand-washing station set up outside
2If you went to this mall in Bangkok, you’d see a robot used to measure people’s body temperatures
3This Starbucks in Taipei, has an automatic hand sanitizer and sectioned off tables
4At a school in China, students are separated by dividers when they eat
5In a restaurant in Shanghai, a machine sprays down customers with disinfectant before entering
6Chairs are marked for social distancing at the Saint-Lazare train station in Paris
7A restaurant in Spain just posted their menu to Instagram to avoid many people touching their reusable ones
8Social distancing circles give everybody space at a park in Brooklyn, NYC
9Pews are cordoned off to enforce social distancing at a church, also in Spain
10A gym in Hong Kong has glass partitions for each machines to help prevent droplets from spreading
11Barbers wear full-body protective suits while cutting people’s hair in Bangladesh
12Drive-in movie theatres are opening in New York City
What The Brand-New Distanced World Looks Like
As countries around the world start to cautiously reopen, many are reshaping their public spaces to encourage social distancing. This process has been unique for each country, especially in regions that have been hardest-hit by the pandemic. These next few months will be a trial period for many countries, with a continued increase in cases of coronavirus being balanced with increasing efforts to reopen borders, rekindle economies, and restart life in general. Only time will truly tell what effect these efforts will have on this global pandemic.
