Moving on from life with restrictions in a post-Covid world

How life post-Covid is slowly, after two years, returning back to normality with very few restrictions still in place.

This spring has seen the long-awaited decision to ease Covid restrictions and allow our lives to return to what they had been before the pandemic.

A predominant restriction that was enforced was the wearing of face coverings. It became compulsory for people to wear masks on public transport, in shops, cinemas (when they reopened) and other indoor public spaces. Those not following the rules, unless they were exempt, risked a £100 fine.

However, many people were so worried that they went beyond this and wore face coverings at all times once they left they our homes, in all outdoor settings and even inside their own cars. Masks offered security and protection, especially for the most vulnerable.

This combined with social distancing to reduce the spread of the virus made people feel more comfortable when out in social environments.

Lucy, an 18-year-old student, told me: “I feel secure and guarded when wearing a mask because the risk is always there”.

Having to watch all of the games from home was something I knew I didn’t always want to do, so getting the vaccine was my best option to make sure this didn’t happen again” – football fan Christian

But with the number of Covid-19 cases steadily falling – although still running to the tens of thousands daily – mask wearing is in a similar decline as the government’s ‘Living with Covid’ plan takes effect.

For some, though, the dropping of nearly all Covid restrictions has triggered fresh anxiety.

Lucy said that despite being fully vaccinated, wearing a mask will continue to be standard procedure in her daily life. She feels that although she is following all possible safety measures, a dwindling number are doing the same, making her feel more vulnerable.

Every individual is entitled to manage their own safeguarding, and with rules being relaxed the transition to personal choice is undoubtedly creating issues.

For example, the BBC reported that, as of March 4, only 66% of people in England aged 12 and over were triple vaccinated – so a third have yet to become fully protected by a third dose.

Khiana Pogue, 19, told me she need full vaccination status for travel purposes, but added: “The vaccine is just a large part of everyone’s lives now and I’ve understood that if I want to continue being able to live my life how I want to then I have to conform in some way to help me do that.”

This is also the case for many other people who feel that being fully vaccinated will make their lives a lot easier. For example, some may feel that it is the best thing in order to reduce to stress of travelling or going out to public events such as concerts or clubs.

The need for a Covid passport to attend a mass gatherings is no longer mandatory, but many saw them as a reasonable measure to adhere to in order to step back towards normality.

Football fan Christian, 20, was a regular spectator with his dad at live matches until Covid meant Premier League games had to be played behind closed doors with no spectators.

He said: “After all these years of going to games as a tradition, to then be restricted from doing so, really made me reflect on what I can do in order to attend once allowed to do so.

“Having to watch all of the games from home was something I knew I didn’t always want to do, so getting the vaccine was my best option to make sure this didn’t happen again.”

However now that the restrictions have been lifted in order to help get life back on track, it is not mandatory to have these things in place. It is strictly a decision to be made by an individual for themselves.

People are entitled to generally make a choice to an extent, but some restrictions remain, for example in relation to international travel and the need to wear masks in healthcare settings. Slowly, though, our old lives are returning…

Feature image by Anna Shvets via Pexels.