With the unexpected arrival of the novel coronavirus COVID19 into our lives, much of the world has found itself subject to some restrictions on movement and gatherings, if not in full lockdown. The only countries to have not reported any cases of this virus are tiny pacific nations, who are isolated naturally by geography. Also, war-zones, where reporting is complicated, and authoritarian regimes such as North Korea, where claims of no cases are challenging to verify. This has meant drastic changes to our routines and way of life in a very short time indeed, and our lives have moved online.
Movies
Making a trip to the movie theatre is not possible at the moment, packed gatherings such as these are a definite no when practicing social distancing. Many big movie releases have been pushed back to later in the year, such as the latest James Bond title, No Time to Die. Others have been released digitally instead, such as the Trolls World Tour children’s film, which is available to rent before ever being in a theatre.
Working
In most countries affected by the virus, all but essential workplaces have had to close, and if employees haven’t lost their jobs or put on temporary leave, then home-working has become much more common. There are some challenges to making this adjustment, such as keeping to your routine, lack of space at home, especially if you are both home-working, and there are children to look after. At least the widespread availability of broadband makes this possible; twenty or thirty years ago there was no chance of video conferencing and online file sharing happening in a big way.
Betting
There will be no more trips to the races, in fact, there are no races being run at the minute. The same goes for casinos, there are chances to visit famous casinos online, and these are accessible in many languages such as the well-known Vera & John in Japanese as well as English.
Sports
There are very few sporting events happening at all these days. Every significant event from the Tokyo Olympics to the UEFA European Championships and regular sporting leagues such as the NBA and MLB have been suspended, delayed, or canceled. We see a boom in eSports, playing competitive video games as this can be done online from all the participant’s homes with zero social contact.
Socializing
There is no going to bars and clubs, restaurants, or even trips to go shopping or visit family attractions such as Theme Parks or even playgrounds. This has led us to be more creative when it comes to leading a social life, and children are missing the chance to see and play with their friends and so are we adults. The use of Skype or FaceTime calls to relatives and friends is quickly becoming the norm. There has been a big increase in people having ‘virtual parties’ through video conferencing apps such as Zoom.
