Friday, April 17, 2020
Flagging up the new normal
Those of us who are still adjusting to the stresses and strains of the lockdown may be gratified to know that there are many positives, so much so that the vast majority of Britons want to the brave new world the other side of this pandemic to be very different from what went before.
The Independent reports that a new poll has found that only nine per cent of Britons want to return to life as normal after the end of the lockdown triggered by coronavirus pandemic. The paper says that many have seen benefits from the way they are being forced to live now.
The survey - commissioned by the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission (FFCC) and the Food Foundation charity -suggests an overwhelming majority hope to see some personal and social changes continue following the pandemic, with less than one in 10 wanting a full return to how things were before:
Fifty-one per cent of respondents said they had noticed cleaner air, and 27 per cent said they had recognised more wildlife since the lockdown began.
Forty per cent said they felt a stronger sense of community in their local area since the virus shut down daily life, while 39 per cent said they had been more in touch with friends and family.
Some 42 per cent of the 4,343 adults surveyed said they now valued food more - with one in ten sharing with a neighbour for the first time.
But while 9 per cent said they felt fitter and 27 per cent were getting more exercise, more than 36 per cent said their physical activity had been curtailed.
The issue with physical activity is of course a worrying one, as it may lead to a less healthy population. The secret must be to take the best of the lockdown and mix it with what we were doing right beforehand.
Nevertheless, my prediction is that within weeks of this pandemic being over, we will be back to where we started. Isn't that always the way with New Year resolutions?
The Independent reports that a new poll has found that only nine per cent of Britons want to return to life as normal after the end of the lockdown triggered by coronavirus pandemic. The paper says that many have seen benefits from the way they are being forced to live now.
The survey - commissioned by the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission (FFCC) and the Food Foundation charity -suggests an overwhelming majority hope to see some personal and social changes continue following the pandemic, with less than one in 10 wanting a full return to how things were before:
Fifty-one per cent of respondents said they had noticed cleaner air, and 27 per cent said they had recognised more wildlife since the lockdown began.
Forty per cent said they felt a stronger sense of community in their local area since the virus shut down daily life, while 39 per cent said they had been more in touch with friends and family.
Some 42 per cent of the 4,343 adults surveyed said they now valued food more - with one in ten sharing with a neighbour for the first time.
But while 9 per cent said they felt fitter and 27 per cent were getting more exercise, more than 36 per cent said their physical activity had been curtailed.
The issue with physical activity is of course a worrying one, as it may lead to a less healthy population. The secret must be to take the best of the lockdown and mix it with what we were doing right beforehand.
Nevertheless, my prediction is that within weeks of this pandemic being over, we will be back to where we started. Isn't that always the way with New Year resolutions?
