New Delhi: Lockdown 4.0 has already kicked in, and we are all making our way gradually towards exiting it — shops are opening, cars are back on the roads and many offices are up and running. In this context, the question for our readers this week was, ‘As India exits lockdown, how soon can we return to life and work as before?’
Here are their answers:
‘Work and life would never be same as before’
There is no definite time frame which one can give to answer this question. Whether you say 6 months or 3 years, all is based on certain assumptions. According to me it will at least take a year to resume normalcy but work and life will never return to the pre-crisis period. Covid crisis has changed our habits, our perspectives, has exposed capitalism, and a lot more. Travel will reduce and so will trade. ‘Atamnirbharta’ (self-reliance) is the new way to go. Work and life would never be the same as before but normalcy will be achieved in 15-20 months — Kartik Garg
‘We will need to unlearn and relearn cohabitation’
As India exits lockdown, residents of different zones will react differently towards return to normal life and work. For many, especially in Green and Orange zones, it will be within a month. For Red zone, both residents and business, it could be the rest of the year and/or for some life will never be the same again. In general, the world will be a different place and we will need to unlearn and relearn cohabitation from a new perspective — Shehla Raza
‘More likely we will stick to the changes’
Normalcy won’t be restored until a vaccine is developed and people are immunised at a mass level. Till then, we’ll have to live with Covid-19 and a new ‘normalcy’. The period after lockdown till the development of a vaccine will be interesting as it will define how the ‘new normal’ is actually going to be. It will answer whether WFH will become a norm or not, whether educational institutions will opt for online classes more frequently or not and many other lifestyle questions. In fact, it is more likely that we never return to life as before as we might just stick with some of these new changes and not look back — Shubhankar Tiwari
‘It will take India at least 3 years to return to life as before’
India simply cannot return to life and work as before. Our doubling rate may have declined but more cases are still pouring in, social distancing has become a joke and people are acting ignorant. As WHO said, we may have to live with Covid-19 and that’s true, but given the size of our population and lack of adherence to rules, India is more likely to surpass the US within a month or two of exiting lockdown. Making alternate working days for employees, crowd control in heavily crowded places by policing, aggressive testing and making available more healthcare items are some of my suggestions that may help. To answer the actual question, to return to life and work “as before”, it will take India a minimum of 3 years — Tanzeel Geelani
‘Only way forward is to get accustomed to a new world’
To be realistic, life won’t be the same as before in the post Covid-19 world. The impact it has had on the world order is tremendous. Whether we talk about international or national policies, we’re looking at a massive overhaul in our way of living. The only way forward is to get accustomed to a new lifestyle and a new world, perhaps a better one —Pritam Upadhya
‘Have to live with periodic cycles of lockdown in near future’
A blunt answer to the question can be, “Not anytime soon!”. Two developments can remedy this situation: Either we find a cure or vaccine for the virus or develop herd immunity towards it. Both the scenarios look distant at present. India being a developing economy, cannot stay in lockdown for an extended period, and with no lockdown, the pandemic will overwhelm the healthcare system. Hence, in the near future, we will have to live with periodic cycles of lockdown and opening of the country as we make our way towards either of the two permanent solutions — Swapneel Pathak
‘Crisis has unveiled shortcomings that India needs to work on’
It’s time we accept our new normal because life, as we know, has changed post the outbreak of Covid-19. Companies like Twitter have already taken a step towards it by allowing their employees to work from home forever. Some jobs may become obsolete giving rise to new gig jobs. Online streaming platforms already have an edge over multiplexes. A crisis like this has unveiled our shortcomings on which India needs to work on in the near future by making necessary reforms. That is the silver lining in this macabre black mirror real-life episode — Vandana Kumari
‘There’s no returning to normal now, only a new one’
There is no returning to “normal”, there is only a new normal. After every great event affecting humanity, life never really returns to what it was, but mutates into something new. This can be seen in nations after war, after economic or civil crises, or as in this case — a pandemic. Humans are very quick to adapt to new realities, and we will all very quickly adapt to this reality too. We will all think “Things are back to normal.”, even though that would not be “normal”. And after we face the next attack, we will ask ourselves again — “When will things get back to normal?” — Unaware that it already is — Sai Tejas
‘People won’t do anything they would on a normal weekend’
We as a country had no idea what hand sanitizers were, today every corner of the world is facing shortages. I feel even if the government comes out tomorrow saying everything will open from tomorrow, people won’t do anything they would do on a normal weekend like go out in crowded places. Dinners, partying and many social events would witness few people. People are more vigilant now and some have gone paranoid to the extent where they wash their groceries with soap. Until and unless there is pure assurance that the devil outside is not dead, the corona Life will be the new normal life — Nikhil Chouhan
‘Normalcy will return in 2024 when there will be elections again’
Only focus of the government is to remain in power. It is not serious about migrants, poor, hunger, industries, jobs, health etc. The Government of India will declare GDP of India fallen due to corona, we are trying to recover, and it will take 2024 for normalcy as there will again be elections for the Prime Minister — Aslam Naikwade