[The Editors' Verdict] Our Society After COVID-19

This fall and winter, and around this time next year, some viruses will continue to circulate. Even if they are not necessarily 'new' strains, we must endure the annual seasons of colds and flu outbreaks. Within a few years, another novel virus may emerge and plunge us into fear once again. In this regard, the civic awareness regarding infectious diseases that we are currently practicing will become a valuable social experience, too precious to be buried as a mere memory.

It has been about a month since the entire nation started wearing masks and refraining from group activities. Thanks to strict personal hygiene compliance, the number of newly confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) is estimated to have significantly decreased recently. This is the basis for experts’ cautious forecasts that the upward trend in confirmed cases will subside within one to two weeks. So, how will our society, which COVID-19 has swept through, have changed, and how must it change?

Even if it seems a bit early, we need to think about the post-COVID-19 era because our community failed to bring about significant changes after experiencing Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), and the novel flu.

Of course, during the usual cold and flu seasons, it is unlikely that the entire population will need to wear masks as a response. Although experts are not currently voicing this due to the special circumstances, mask-wearing primarily aims to block droplets from virus-infected individuals. Conversely, the claim that all members of society, including the uninfected, must wear masks to avoid inhaling airborne viruses lacks scientific evidence.

Therefore, the current experience of normalized mask-wearing should establish a lifestyle habit where cold or flu patients must wear masks when in contact with others. The sight of coughing or sniffling without a mask in meetings, classrooms, places of worship, or funerals should now disappear. Moreover, individuals exhibiting such symptoms participating in group activities should be considered socially inappropriate, and the civic awareness to voluntarily distance oneself from groups should be absorbed as a matter of common courtesy.

Efforts and changes are needed not only from individuals but also from groups themselves. Taking leave or being absent due to a cold is not laziness but an inevitable measure for community safety. On the contrary, failing to do so should be criticized as selfish behavior. Thus, what cold and flu patients need most is not a mask but acceptance of distancing themselves from groups. Workplaces, schools, and other organizations must revise their regulations and rules to accommodate this culture. Additionally, it is time to consider alternatives for group events where attendance affects benefits or disadvantages, such as university entrance exams or job interviews. The heightened awareness of personal hygiene and minimization of group activities following the COVID-19 crisis have effectively suppressed acute respiratory infections (colds) and influenza (flu) that should have been prevalent, proving that such efforts clearly have an impact on blocking infectious diseases.

Above all, the most important task is to create an opportunity to overcome a recurring social tendency that easily emerges when we face a major social crisis. Regardless of the nature of the crisis, this tendency involves scapegoating specific groups as targets of anger and hatred to shift responsibility and evade one’s own accountability. Furthermore, the civic awareness to distinguish between such acts that incite hatred against the opposition for political purposes unrelated to the virus and genuine efforts to overcome the crisis will be the most important legacy that the coronavirus leaves to our society.

Chief of Social Affairs Shin Beom-su

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.