05 May 2020

As the world is grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, many economies and lives are being affected by the pandemic.

The global economy has stalled, some businesses have shut down resulting in loss of income for families, people are living in isolation and important social and religious gatherings have been banned.

Browsing the internet, indications are that the immediate psychological impacts of the pandemic are substantial, with the likelihood of even leading to a change in daily lifestyles.

At the moment, most people are conscious that touching surfaces, being with other people and breathing the air in an enclosed space can be risky.

How quickly that awareness recedes will be different for different people, but likely, it would never vanish completely for anyone who lived through this year.

Some professional psychologists believe that it could become second nature to recoil from shaking hands or touching faces, and many might find they cannot stop washing hands.

A psychologist at Jwaneng Town Council, Mr Odirile Mokane also agrees that this is most likely.

“At the moment, while still grappling with the virus, we would like to encourage such new lifestyles. Even though it is still too early to talk about post-corona behaviour, it is most likely that our normal behaviour will change and we will experience new lifestyles,” he said.

From the psychological point of view, Mr Mokane said this would most likely be the new life style with  people starting to being concerned, being careful and conscious about their health.

He said it had been proven that washing hands and using sanitisers are preventative measures of contracting diseases so people are most likely to embrace that going forward.

But just how likely will using sanitisers and constant hand washing turn into a social disorder?

“Well, for people who are already diagnosed with disorders such as compulsive obsessive disorders, it is more likely to be worse. They are more likely to get too obsessed with cleanliness and avoid handshakes,” Mr Mokane opined.

He said for other people, he could not say it would necessary be the case, adding that to call it a disorder would be too much, but they would certainly be more careful and want to keep clean to keep safe.

Human beings by nature have the ability to adapt to new lifestyles, especially if they practice them for a while.

For how long the COVID-19 pandemic lingers around and keeps compelling people to sanitize and wash hands will determine the level that such a lifestyle is engrained on the social fabric when the virus finally disappears.

Until recently, social distancing was something many might have done when they spotted a chatty neighbour across the fence, or someone one owes, but the consensus advice is that people should brace for it, even post the COVID-19 pandemic. Ends