This too, shall pass...eventually
That unforgettable day in early March, 2020 is when life as we knew it changed. Like falling dominoes, businesses, airports hotels, restaurants, schools and all activities including sports came to a grinding halt. Countries closed borders, cities virtually shut down, and people kept away from one another, as social distancing and wearing masks became mandatory. Assurances the Coronavirus was well under control no longer seemed credible as the pandemic ran rampant in almost every country and spread at an astonishingly unknown rate.
Our lives were disrupted beyond belief. Millions of people – particularly those in the hospitality industry, lost jobs at an alarming rate. Those, mainly in other sectors, who were fortunate not to be laid-off, were forced to work from home - a home that turned out to be both, a sanctuary and a prison. Time for many stood still. Every second felt like a minute, every minute like an hour and every hour like a day!
At one time or another, most of us have, especially at interviews, heard the frequently asked question, “Where do you expect to be in five years?” Even if the pandemic is behind us in, say 2025, some experts say that the life during the ‘new normal’ will be far more tech-driven, presenting more big challenges. Still others are of the opinion that life will be better in a ‘tele-everything’ world where workplaces, healthcare and social activity improve.
Craig Siliman believes that “while COVID-19 has forced us to distance physically, it has brought individuals closer together. Many of us have spent years in countless meetings and meals and on airplanes with colleagues and yet never learned as much about them as we have in the past months. When we lost our physical proximity, we created emotional bridges that connected us in new and profound ways. It turns out that it took forced distancing to bring out our most complete and authentic humanity. I believe that once we are together again physically, we will not forget what we learned while we were apart, and that will make for richer and deeper relationships for years to come”.
During COVID-19, people have learned to cook again and to enjoy doing so. Many have turned from restaurant-goers to a pickup and home cooking. Tech will continue to assist this shift which should continue through 2025. Plant-based eating will continue to trend. Those having gained weight during lockdown are looking in the mirror and thinking of carrots and salads. Our taste for vegetables has returned as quickly as our reluctance to eat as much meat.
The new normal will accelerate the move towards digital spaces, which, without in-person interaction, are very abstract, particularly where modern efficiencies rely on getting many people physically together. Transportation, hotels, restaurants, sports events, education; can one get ‘close’ in a meaningful manner via technology…hard to grasp, eh? Not very clear!
Meanwhile, don’t expect many of the social-distancing mandates introduced in 2020 to disappear. It’ll never again be strange to encounter people at a hotel or airport wearing masks and remnants of those Plexiglas dividers will continue to stand between customers and staff at some service counters.
The good news: Most of our wants and needs haven’t changed; how we attain them, however, has changed.
Shafeek Wahab – Editor, Hospitality Sri Lanka, Consultant, Trainer, Ex-Hotelier
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