# Post Covid changes



## Purple (4 Jan 2022)

What societal changes would you like to see post-Covid?
I’d start with banning the use of the words hero and heroic for anyone who isn’t in a war zone


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## Leo (5 Jan 2022)

I'd agree. Calling anyone a hero for just doing their job is demeaning to them, particularly the ones who do go above and beyond. Coming from political leaders who all earn a lot more in many cases for a lot less and it's just condescending. My wife works in frontline healthcare and it's a bit of a running joke in her circle about some of the 'heroes' they work with who do everything they can to avoid work. 

Otherwise, I'd like to see a complete re-invention of the whole health service with a focus on outcomes and better value for money. We need to stop pretending that throwing more money at a broken system is the only way to improve.


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## michaelm (5 Jan 2022)

The people who make screw top wine bottles are the real heroes.


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## odyssey06 (5 Jan 2022)

More working from home, and if you're not working from home, turning up to work infecting the rest of your team with whatever dose you have is not socially acceptable. 
More focus on ventilation\filters in schools, offices, pubs, transport etc
More take-up on mask wearing in winter.
Better flu vaccines and more take-up.
More rapid anitgen type tests for other viruses.

China sorting out its 'wet' markets.

A task force to be established to stamp out clickbait headlines.


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## Firefly (5 Jan 2022)

michaelm said:


> The people who make screw top wine bottles are the real heroes.


Yeah, as much as I love the sound of the "pop", it's no fun on the 3rd bottle!


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## Paul O Mahoney (6 Jan 2022)

The altruism seen at the start of the pandemic was nice to witness,  but it didn't last long enough .

The media need to be sent a message that they are essentially useless and while reporting is important double checking "facts" would be a welcome change. 

People need to realise and understand that the Government isn't solely responsible for everything in their lives and should not have to wait for " guidance " to do the right thing. 

Finally, "stupidity " needs addressing.


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## Paul O Mahoney (6 Jan 2022)

I'll have to think about Global changes,  but obviously we need to change how we address so many issues. 

The genie is out of the bottle on how wealthier countries treat poorer countries not just vaccines, but also the poorer countries need to realise that the they need to get their houses in order too.


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## Clamball (6 Jan 2022)

The whole approach to peoples health and well being versus “the economy”.  It is clear that some wealthier countries put “the economy” ahead of saving lives of those “with an underlying health condition” (which as you get older is almost everyone).

Clean water and vaccines have saved so many lives in the past centuries allowing us to become healthier, wealthy and productive.   Medicine changes due to new understanding of health & well being.  I think health care will need to undergo a massive shift again due to covid.  Everything from physical building design (ventilation, anti viral surfaces and cleaning like UV radiation) to congregated old age care, to school design, mass transport design to prevent future pandemics being as serious.  

The people we rely on during lockdown are the shop assistants, bin men, delivery drivers etc.  How do we in society reflect that these industries are not just minimum wage employees but necessary to normal running of our lives?


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## Ceist Beag (6 Jan 2022)

Clamball said:


> How do we in society reflect that these industries are not just minimum wage employees but necessary to normal running of our lives?


It's hard to answer that given today's society is always looking for cheap food, clothes, alcohol, etc. Add to that all the players involved trying to squeeze a little bit more profit and is it any wonder the staff are paid poorly. If we as a society want to see these people rewarded better then we need to be prepared to pay more and I don't see that happening any time soon.


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## Paul O Mahoney (7 Jan 2022)

Ceist Beag said:


> It's hard to answer that given today's society is always looking for cheap food, clothes, alcohol, etc. Add to that all the players involved trying to squeeze a little bit more profit and is it any wonder the staff are paid poorly. If we as a society want to see these people rewarded better then we need to be prepared to pay more and I don't see that happening any time soon.


Excellent points,
Understanding the value of items rather than the price would be a welcomed change and would not stop what is happening immediately but it would be a piece of the solution.


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## Purple (7 Jan 2022)

Clamball said:


> The whole approach to peoples health and well being versus “the economy”.  It is clear that some wealthier countries put “the economy” ahead of saving lives of those “with an underlying health condition” (which as you get older is almost everyone).


Which ones? Every country had lockdowns and restrictions. The UK may have made noises about freedom days and all that guff but public health still drove their response. If anything the needs of the old and vulnerable have been the only driver of the response. I'm not saying that's right or wrong but the knock-on impact on the mental health, education and actual wealth of young people has hardly been taken into account at all.  


Clamball said:


> Clean water and vaccines have saved so many lives in the past centuries allowing us to become healthier, wealthy and productive.   Medicine changes due to new understanding of health & well being.  I think health care will need to undergo a massive shift again due to covid.  Everything from physical building design (ventilation, anti viral surfaces and cleaning like UV radiation) to congregated old age care, to school design, mass transport design to prevent future pandemics being as serious.


I think that the moral hazard created by a modern healthcare system needs to be looked at. We think we can drink and smoke and be unfit and fat and sure it'll be fine, there's a pill or operation etc that will fix it. Covid forced us to confront our mortality in a very small way and it frightened the hell out of many of us. We need to shift the narrative to a place where as individuals we invest in our own health by eating properly, exercising, not being fat and generally looking after ourselves.


Clamball said:


> The people we rely on during lockdown are the shop assistants, bin men, delivery drivers etc.  How do we in society reflect that these industries are not just minimum wage employees but necessary to normal running of our lives?


I've said before that if the delivery drivers, sewage workers and waste collectors stopped working for a month it would kill far more people than if the doctors and nurses all stopped working for a month. 
The reality is that we value jobs based on skill and scarcity and to a lesser extent risk so those jobs will never be that well paid. That said HGV drivers are well paid. Waste collection (Bin Men) jobs start at around €12.50 an hour so not minimum wage but not far off.


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## michaelm (14 Jan 2022)

Purple said:


> We need to shift the narrative to a place where as individuals we invest in our own health by eating properly, exercising, not being fat and generally looking after ourselves.


This is the achievable post Covid change that I'd like to see.


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