The New Normal: a period of crisis or a horizon of opportunities?

In a time of great change and uncertainty, what the future holds for us after social isolation.

In December 2019, Wuhan Municipal Health Commission, China, informed the World Health Organization (WHO) of an outbreak of unexplained pneumonia cases in Wuhan, Hubei Province. A few months later, the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was declared a global pandemic, becoming the most severe health and humanitarian crisis of modern times.

So far, the SARS-CoV-2 virus has infected more than 60 million people worldwide, with at least 6,209,404 cases in Brazil. However, estimates show that the true number may be ten to fifteen times higher than documented. Regrettably, besides the catastrophic consequences for human lives, there has also been devastating economic, environmental and political impacts.

The initial reaction to this terrible pandemic has produced varying results, from disbelief and indifference to a veritable wave of panic in society. Due to the absence of a vaccine or an effective medicine to combat this highly infectious novel virus, governments around the world have begun introducing restrictive emergency measures to control its spread. Therefore, most countries have implemented not only quarantines and curfews, but also lockdowns, border closures and travel bans.

In fact, prolonged social isolation and physical distancing guidelines have been crucial in containing this deadly disease, but all this comes at a price. Billions of people are being forced to stay at home, suffering from a lack of interactions with neighbors, friends and relatives. Moreover, it is important to highlight that there are many reports of domestic violence, substance abuse, financial problems and job losses during this period. As a result, the increase in physical and mental health problems is notorious among the general populace, affecting mainly older adults, minorities and low-income individuals.

In the midst of this extreme crisis caused by a virus that we still don't fully understand, it can be difficult to look ahead and imagine what the world might look like after the pandemic. There is no doubt that everyone wants things to go back to normal, but COVID-19 will leave an indelible mark on the world, causing profound changes in several segments of society. For this reason, all of us will need to adapt to a new way of living, changing how we socialize, work, shop, travel, study and manage our own health, as well as that of our loved ones.

At best, even after lockdown and quarantine restrictions are lifted in areas with a lower incidence of cases, some preventive and control measures will become more and more part of our everyday life. An example of this might be the integration of different information sources and databases to monitor the potential spread of a new and relatively unknown infection. In addition, the pandemic is fostering significant changes in the institutions and systems underpinning the international order. Consequently, this situation will open the door to the strengthening of isolationist, protectionist and nationalist agendas around the globe in years to come.

Finally, the COVID-19 outbreak demonstrated that no one is immune to devastating infectious diseases. In a post-pandemic world, we can develop a new awareness about the importance of a healthy lifestyle, focusing on preventive care and wellness programs. Most importantly, we need to ensure large-scale investments in the health system, thus having substantial resources to trace, test and treat any disease or infection which is transmissible directly or indirectly from animals to humans. One can also expect a greater concern with the conservation and preservation of the environment, thereby contributing to a better quality of life to the whole population.