Our lives have been turned upside down. Simple, everyday activities such as going to the store or attending a party at a friend’s house have become something dangerous. A lot of us can’t visit our families for fear of infecting them with a nasty virus. We can’t sip coffee at our favorite coffee shop without worrying about face masks and hand sanitizers. We can’t freely hug our friends.

Coronavirus is a nasty piece of work. It trapped us in a scary situation and made us change habits we used to take for granted. But while the situation may seem dire, there is yet hope on the horizon.

The pandemic will change how we function as a society even after it’s over, but not all of those changes will be bad. We will feel safe again. We will get to be close to our loved ones. And we will be okay.

When coronavirus finally becomes less of a problem, here’s how our society will look like.

We’ll learn to prioritize what matters

When we don’t even know whether our family will survive the pandemic unscathed, all of the other problems we have become insignificant in comparison. We no longer worry about things like office gossip and that stupid fight we had with our best friend. We just want everyone to be okay.

Even when the quarantine ends completely and we’re all able to feel safe again, the corona situation will serve as a reminder to focus on what’s really important in life – our loved ones, our happiness, and our peace of mind.

We’ll invest in eco-friendly transportation

Using public transportation is not the safest option right, as the virus has the ability to stay on surfaces anywhere between a few hours to a whole week. This has led a lot of people to invest in bicycles and e-scooters – they’re safe and easy to rely on.

Since we’re getting the opportunity to ride our bikes again, there’s no reason not to continue this trend even after the pandemic is over. Just think about it – you don’t have to worry about schedules, overcrowded buses, and traffic jams, not to mention the positive impact this will have on the environment.

We’ll take our health more seriously

We’re starting to realize how frail we become if we don’t take good care of ourselves. Coronavirus wreaked havoc on our population, but this has taught us how to nurture our immune system. Even when the quarantine ends, we’ll keep wearing face masks during peak flu season to protect ourselves and others. After all, a disposable surgical face mask is an inexpensive way to reduce the chance of getting infected from airborne particles, and it’s easy to keep carrying one in our bag. It’s a good habit to introduce to our lives.

We’ll work remote more often

Coronavirus pandemic has made it necessary for our employers to let us work from home. Now that a lot of business owners have realized remote work can be a great way to cut costs on electricity, heating, and rental space, we should expect more remote work in our future. For some, this kind of flexibility is a dream come true. For others, it might mean having to learn how to organize their time and avoid procrastination while working from home.

We’ll shop online more often

Brick-and-mortar stores are closing down faster than ever. While large malls are still likely to be present, small businesses and mom-and-pop stores will close down and shift their business online. In general, retail giants such as Amazon will establish an even firmer monopoly on the market. This isn’t such great news for small business owners, but there is a way to prevent this – shop from local small businesses and avoid giving your money to giant, greedy corporations.

We’ll pay more attention to hygiene

It’s actually a little strange that some people needed to be told they have to wash their hands regularly, but at least now they know. Coronavirus has taught us to be a lot more careful with our hygiene, and the habits we’ve created are likely to stick with us in the future.

We’ll take better care of each other

If there’s one thing we’re learning right now, is that the idea that every man needs to be out for themselves is simply not true. We need to strengthen our community and take care of each other regardless of the situation. It’s not just because this is the right thing to do, it’s simply smart – a system in which every person can feel safe and comfortable, is a system that will protect us instead of leaving us high and dry when the trouble hits.

After a worldwide disaster that we’re going through right now, we can expect to see more kindness. The struggle will be long and hard, but hopefully we’ll learn enough valuable lessons from it to make our lives and our society better once it’s all over.