As this country and the world continues to fight the pandemic, we are all stuck wondering how long schools are going to stay shut down. It is not hard to believe that they might be shut down until 2021. After all, we don’t know everything about this virus and it’s doubtful that schools will reopen until a vaccine has been discovered which could take a while.

This pandemic is going to have some long term effects that will never let us forget what the world suffered during this time. It’s safe to say that people are still going to be very hesitant to leave their homes after the lockdown has been lifted because the virus might still be out there, whether it’s by an asymptomatic person that we encounter on the street or on a coffee table in Starbucks. 

The fear of the unknown has always been something that scares humanity, but after these events, people won’t just be scared of what they still don’t know about the virus but of the knowledge they gained on the effects it has on the human body.

It’s understandable that people would continue to social distance after this is over because even with a vaccine and some kind of immunity to the virus, we are still scared of what could happen. It’s always important to be careful but even more important to not let our anxiety get the better of us during these times.

The economic effects that this pandemic will leave are going to be significant. Gas prices will most likely remain low as the demand will be low, people will continue to panic buy because no one wants to be left without toilet paper or cleaning supplies or even food. 

However, not all long-term effects will be bad. People staying in their homes has proved very beneficial for the health of the environment and our Earth. It could also be extremely beneficial in creating new health care programs and health insurance for people who can’t afford it. 

This pandemic has also given us a new sense of patriotism. We usually think about our military when we think of patriotism but you can’t take down a virus by shooting at it. The people on the front lines aren’t soldiers anymore, they are doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers. We as a people have had our eyes opened to the strength and courage it takes to be a nurse or a doctor and that will bring us together as a country and as one small part of this planet.

The world will never forget this tragedy and all the lives that were lost during this time, but we will certainly learn from the experience and work towards a better life for us all in the future.