The coronavirus changed the daily lives of thousands of citizens, the way they work, their communication, their habits, redefined the meaning of home, overthrew education systems, brought businesses to their knees, and created a “headache” in government and the banking system.
It basically brought changes that came to stay for a long time. Almost a year later, on March 15, 2020, when the President of the Republic, Nikos Anastasiadis, declared a state of emergency and measures were taken to support workers and businesses, not much has changed. About 37,000 workers in hotels, restaurants and other similar occupations have forgotten to work and make a living from state benefits. In the same fate and thousands of hotel and tourist units that the coroner quarantined. Catering, cafes and bars tend to become something far away. Hundreds of grocery stores are waiting for the epidemiological situation in the country to improve to see how and what restrictions they will proceed with the restart. The question is how much damage will have accumulated and how many businesses will be able to survive.
Lockdowns, when deemed necessary for health reasons, perpetuate the uncertainties of 2020 resulting in collateral losses in a number of related industries. Retail stores, department stores and malls are one of the “victims” of the virus as they open and close depending on epidemiological conditions. Businesses in good financial condition will be able to survive. But the weakest players may not be able to cope with the new data of the pandemic crisis, putting a permanent “padlock”.
It is now clear that the coronavirus has changed everyone's consumption habits. Not only during the lockdown period, which brought ups and downs in everyday life, but also after that. A characteristic change, a consequence of the coronavirus, the measures, but also of the new consumer mentality is that recently there has been a significant increase in food market visits and a vertical increase in food and beverage consumption at home, with consumers choosing them based on mainly costs, as they are also affected by the prevailing financial uncertainty. And of course the home delivery that has gained ground due to the fact that the dining areas remain closed.
Exit message
Travel sms have returned, time is limited, gatherings are prohibited, weddings and christenings are on the verge of extinction and the mask has been established as a necessary daily accessory. Of course, antiseptics are not absent from offices, homes, shops and in all areas that are open to the public.
In the age of the coronavirus that lasts a year and it is unknown when the cycle will end, the fun has acquired another dimension. Even if cafes, bars, restaurants roll up, what is taken for granted is that in the first phase there will be opening hours.
Home workplace
The coronavirus crisis redefines the meaning of home forever. Until mid-March 2020, workers saw their homes simply as a place to rest, to communicate with the rest of the family, to sleep, before returning to a daily routine that unfolded mainly outside their home. Today the house has become a workplace with teleworking becoming part of a new daily life in the public and private sector. In the near future, the office will be considered as necessary for a home as the kitchen. After all the predictions say that teleworking has come to stay, the houses will have at least one separate room, with large windows, suitable furniture, excellent internet connection and all the technological equipment. Never in the history of the internet has there been such a drastic change in the way we use technology as we do now. Work from home, online bill payments, fewer bank branch visits and the coronavirus managed to bring us closer to digital reality. And in all this environment, not being able to meet people face to face, the world has suddenly shifted from direct contact to virtual encounters.
New era in education as well
School life had its own pace until March 2020, with teaching hours, breaks, excursions and school performances. In the first universal lockdown of spring 2020, pupils and students found themselves outside of the classroom, school educational trips and activities. The consequences of the absence of educational structures due to the pandemic will be visible for years.
