Editorial

As countries around the world continue to grapple with containing the Covid-19 pandemic, the news is dominated by stories covering the roll-out of vaccines, families meeting up after long separations in some cases, while intensive care units remain overflowing in others. One of the themes that emerges is the idea of a post-Covid “new normal”; we will “return” to our pre-pandemic lives, but they will not be exactly the same as they were. Opinions differ as to whether the new normal will be a transitory phase before life really does revert to what it was, or whether some changes are here to stay. Public debate may be focused on political questions, but many people are privately wondering whether some aspects of their lives will ever be restored to “normality”, and if so, when that will be. Many working lives have been disrupted, and people ask: will employment in certain industries go up or down; will new jobs replace lost ones; is home-working here to stay, and will there be less international travel? In this context, it feels as if nothing will continue as it has been in the past without question. We seem to have suppressed the urge to protect the status quo in favour of more open questioning of how things can be changed, hopefully for the better.