Humanity has been suffering from an unprecedented attack from coronavirus. From beggar to billionaire, everybody is affected in myriad ways. Every country has stretched its full resources and energy to combat COVID-19. The world is experiencing a new order. Now, the world has pure air, but wearing a mask is mandatory; roads are empty but going for a long drive is impossible; people have clean hands but shaking hands is banned; we have ample time but there is no chance of getting together; new dishes are being cooked but no guest can be invited; students and working people look forward to weekends, but weekend seem to merge with weekdays; people have money but don’t know where or how to spend, and we have enough time but cannot fulfill our dreams. 

We have perhaps realized that we don’t need much money to lead a good life. Staying home is a sine qua non that will help society to come to a new normal. Compulsory staying at home may increase the use of social media, which could lead to psychological disorders, mental insecurity, and social alienation. Individuals will be surprisingly more cautious in eating or moving out or even going to the office or for that matter attending a social gathering.

Offices have already stepped into the new culture. Distant sitting arrangements, paperless working procedures, work from home or teleworking or online office has become the new norm and will continue for some more time even after the pandemic is over. Those who are working in offices will have to maintain personal hygiene, including using hand sanitizer and masks. The popular entertaining culture of inviting colleagues for tea is now a thing of the past. Getting health-hygiene materials will be added as entitlement in offices. It is evident that running an organisation, public offices in particular, does not necessarily need many people, and this notion will result in many losing jobs, which in turn will add workload on the rest. A recent circular by the Bangladesh government limiting attendance in public offices by 25 percent has been widely welcomed. It is also expected to be enforced in private offices. 

People have realized that life has changed drastically. Social programmes such as outings, picnics, large religious congregation, large-scale sports competitions, or even local games and sports events, or even celebrating New Year or any event together will now become a thing of the past. People will now be scared of arranging any social event or will arrange it with a limited number of people. In Bangladesh, people have already stopped attending weddings, funerals, or even visiting family members. Very few venture out to shop or visit religious places, even though some relaxations have been enforced by the government. Using different types of masks have become a fashion. Online shopping will become a popular way of shopping. Any physical intimacy like hugging or kissing even to a small child will now be frowned upon. Even a simple embrace between friends will become a strict no-no. Even sitting close with each other will not be entertained.

As politics nourishes under the culture of large gathering to attract voters, political parties will have to adopt a new way to woo people. Thriving democracies will have to turn to IT-based strategies for this now. The virtual court is a new normal In Bangladesh after necessary legal modifications were brought in. 

During the lockdown, many people opted for home-based fitness pieces of equipment to stay fit and healthy. This may continue until the situation returns to normalcy as people are scared to step out in the park, fearing contact. Playing in big playgrounds or playing together may also be stopped, at least for some time. Now, the traditional method of imparting knowledge through close contact between a teacher and a student in a traditional classroom may not happen for some more months as the virus doesn't seem to ebb. School and college students’ world over have already started taking online classes. The entire education system has changed dramatically since COVID-19 wreaked havoc in the world. 

In many countries, there has been a distinctive rise in e-learning, whereby teaching is undertaken remotely and on digital platforms. This will also give rise to a new type of discrimination. Some students without reliable internet access or technology or from poor backgrounds will struggle to participate in digital learning. This will be the next challenge. Merging this gap will be huge, at least for developing countries. Life, as we knew it, has completely changed since corona.
 
(The author is a faculty member at Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre (BPATC), the apex training institute for the civil servants of Bangladesh. He can be contacted at reza@bpatc.org.bd)