Somehow, it all happened so fast: on December 1 of last year, the first case of a never-before encountered virus known as coronavirus was identified in Wuhan, China, by January we were hearing it crop up into the news every now and then, by the end of February it was on everybody’s minds as it spread internationally in a blink of an eye, and here we are now, with our schools shut, our prime minister and our Prince infected, and laws in place to stop us from leaving our homes. This reaction, concern and paranoia applies to every country, every continent, and every corner of the globe; in just a few short months, we have all quickly become accustomed to the name of this strange new virus, and are now being forced to become used to the way it is impacting our everyday lives. However long it takes the world to beat COVID-19 and recover from it is now the matter on all of our minds, but we could still feel it’s impact far into the future.

 

 

It seems very unlikely that students will return to school before the next academic year. Boris Johnson stated on March 18 that schools were being closed “indefinitely”, and with the decision to cancel all end-of-year examinations, including GCSEs and A-Levels, we should not expect to return to schools until this September, therefore giving students what is coming up to six months out. In the meantime, colleges and schools can try their best at implementing long-distance online education, which both students and teachers will have to get used to for likely the next term at least, whether that be via setting work remotely, or video-calling. However, with technical difficulties, safeguarding issues and a general feeling of reluctance and uncertainty, whether or not this will be successful is up in the air. Either way, this will be a period that students and teachers in the country will remember for a very long time, and returning to school at whatever point in the future will doubtless be a very strange experience.

 

 

The global impact that COVID-19 will have on the economy continues to increase in severity day by day. If we are not already within one, the UK is likely to be heading towards an economic recession as a result of the pandemic. Our most at-risk and heavily affected industries and professions include air travel, taxi and coach services, restaurants and pubs, event planners, clubs, cinemas and theatres, music venues and many freelance professions. Debts that accumulated after the 2008 financial crisis in the UK are still to be paid off even today, and so if our economy continues to contract in the first half of 2020, the fallout of this pandemic could be felt for several years to come. 

 

 

While a great number of Britons may lose their jobs as the country tries to contain and fight back against coronavirus, unemployment levels could be even higher in the US. The chief US economist at JP Morgan has stated that the coronavirus shock will lead to initial jobless claims spiking “above 400,000 in the coming weeks,” a measure even sharper than what has been estimated in Europe. That said, almost all of the world is contracting in their economies in the first two quarters of the year, particularly between February and April, which will likely have an unprecedented impact on us in the future, and will come to be held among the likes of the 2008 financial crisis and the Great Depression.

 

 

There are some very resonant and strong social implications that this virus has had and will go on to have too, that we will remember for years to come. The reaction against Chinese people - and those of any Asian descent - that has been fuelled by racism, ignorance and discrimination mirrors the abuse that many Muslims had to face in the aftermath of 9/11. Innocent people have found themselves falling victim to hate crimes, whether that be verbal abuse, or violent physical attacks, many of which have landed on mainstream news and received wide coverage, sparking much conversation and a profound sense of realisation about racism and xenophobia today. This phenomenon has been eye-opening about the real state and the harsh reality of the western world, and something that will affect our society deeply. We have never before needed to rely so much on the NHS as well, and never before has there been so much attention on it either, and so we will have to greatly consider just how much we value it and our truly most vital workers, as well as how much funding it really needs.

 

 

Our reliance on social media and the extent to which we are susceptible to fake news, rumours and misinformation has also been exposed and called into question like never before; perhaps the general public will learn from this troubled time and not make the same mistakes again. The public’s eyes are also currently on world leaders, as their crucial decisions and their ways of dealing with this crisis will not only save or endanger lives, but will also affect whether or not they are re-elected in future referendums, and of those who will go down in history as the ones who dealt with the pandemic the best, and who will take the blame for crumbling economies and lost lives.

 

 

This will be a period in all of our lives - no matter how long this turns out to last - that we will never forget. The UK is one of the worst hit countries within what has quickly become the epicentre of the coronavirus, and therefore whatever the long-term impact of it is and how far into the future we will feel it, it is vital that we come together now to stay safe and “flatten the curve”, so that the negative consequences can be lessened as much as they can be.

 

 

Leo Gregory