How Will Our Lives Change After COVID-19 Is Gone?

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed many of our daily habits – from how we greet our friends to how we work.
新冠肺炎大流行改变了我们从问候方式到工作方式的许多日常生活习惯。

These changes have developed to limit the spread of the new coronavirus. And it raises a question: What habits or customs will remain after the pandemic ends?
这些改变已经限制了新冠病毒的传播。它也提出了一个问题:哪些习惯在大流行之后还会保留下来?

Barun Mathema of Columbia University is unsure. Mathema is a doctor and an assistant professor of epidemiology, the study of the spread and control of diseases. He told VOA News that people may keep some of the habits. Or perhaps, he added, "as the memory of the pandemic itself fades, so will these habits."
哥伦比亚大学的巴伦·玛瑟玛对此也不确定。玛瑟玛是一名医生,也是主要研究疾病传播和控制的流行病学的助理教授。他对美国之音新闻节目表示,人们可能会保留一些习惯,他还说,也许随着大流行本身记忆的消失,这些习惯也会随之消失。

Wearing face masks
戴口罩

Even before the current pandemic, it was normal in many countries for people to wear a face covering in public. For example, face masks became more common in East Asia in 2003 with the rise of SARS, a viral respiratory disease.
甚至在当前的大流行之前,许多国家在公共场合戴口罩也是正常的。例如,随着2003年SARA这种病毒性呼吸系统疾病的爆发,口罩在东亚变得越来越普遍。

However, there is no tradition of mask-wearing in the United States. A year ago, if you saw someone here wearing a mask in public, you might think they were sick or even strange.
然而美国没有戴口罩的习惯。一年前,如果你在美国看到有人在公共场合戴口罩,你可能会认为他们是生病了或是很奇怪。

Today, however, wearing a mask to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is the new normal for many Americans. As of November 20, 37 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico require people to wear face coverings in public.
但是如今戴口罩防止新冠肺炎传播成为了美国人的新常态。截至11月20日,有37个州、哥伦比亚特区和波多黎各(美国海外领地)都要求人们在公共场合戴口罩。

But is this a habit that will remain after the pandemic is over?
但是这种习惯在大流行结束之后还会保留下来吗?

Boris Lushniak leads the School of Public Health at the University of Maryland. He says Americans will most likely wear masks this winter to protect against the common cold and influenza.
鲍里斯·卢什尼亚克是马里兰大学公共卫生学院的院长。他说,美国人今年冬天很可能戴着口罩以预防普通感冒和流感。

However, he does not think mask-wearing will become a new nationwide habit. He noted that it has been difficult to get some people to wear them in the middle of a pandemic.
但是他认为戴口罩不会成为一种新的全国性习惯。他指出,要让某些人在大流行期间戴上口罩一直都很困难。

Personal greetings
个人礼节

Lushniak says the custom of shaking another person's hand is likely to become less common in the years to come. He predicts that people will chose to wave or use some other greeting.
卢什尼亚克表示,未来几年与他人握手的习惯可能会越来越少。他预测人们会选择挥手或其它问候方式。

Overall, Americans might be less willing to touch others, says Aaron Glatt, a spokesperson for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. He predicts that the ease of touching friends and co-workers will happen less often.
美国传染病学会发言人亚伦·格拉特表示,总体而言,美国人可能会更不愿意与他人接触。他预测,与朋友或同事的随意接触也会减少。

Cleanliness
清洁度

Another lasting effect could be an expectation of higher levels of cleanliness.
另一项持久影响可能是更高清洁度的预期。

Mathema, of Columbia University, told VOA that "going through something like a pandemic, regardless of how you feel politically," is a frightening event.
哥伦比亚大学的玛瑟玛对美国之音表示,无论你在政治上有什么感受,经历过大流行之类的都是件令人震惊的事情。

He added that some hygiene habits, like frequent hand washing and cleaning surfaces, are likely to stay. And that could be one of the pandemic's silver linings -- a good result from a bad situation.
他还表示,一些卫生习惯可能会保留下来,例如经常洗手和清洁物体表面。那可能是大流行的一些慰藉,即这种糟糕情况带来的一些好结果。

Another silver lining, added Aaron Glatt, is that people know more about the spread of some diseases. They also may not accept "uncleanliness or poor hygiene."
亚伦·格拉特还表示,另一些慰藉是人们对某些疾病的传播更加了解。他们也可能不接受“不清洁或是卫生状况差。”

Changes in public services
公共服务的变化

Some businesses have had to make changes too. This is especially true of service industries such as airlines, restaurants, and stores.
一些企业也不得不做出改变。对于航空、饭店和商店等服务行业来说尤其如此。

For example, many companies use less contact during the pandemic. There are fewer paper receipts to sign when purchasing products or meals. Airline companies have new rules for disinfecting surfaces and the air inside the airplanes.
例如,许多公司在大流行期间减少了接触。购买产品或餐食时需要签名的纸质单据也更少。航空公司对机舱内部物体表面和空气的消毒也有新规定。

Lushniak, the University of Maryland professor, told VOA that the more important part of the post-pandemic world will be changes to businesses.
马里兰大学教授卢什尼亚克对美国之音表示,全球在大流行之后最重要的部分将是企业改革。

"We learned that cleanliness is important, that disinfection is important," he said, "and we will continue doing that in the workplace."
他说:“我们知道了清洁很重要,消毒很重要,我们将会在工作场所继续这样做。”

Staying home when sick
生病时居家

Another long-term effect of the pandemic could be more people working from home and staying at home when sick.
大流行的另一个长期影响可能是会有更多人在家工作以及生病时呆在家里。

Lushniak added that the pandemic has created more opportunities for working online. If people are not feeling well, they can simply work from home. In a post-pandemic world, he said, working from home might be an important part of stopping the spread of disease.
卢什尼亚克还说,大流行为网上办公创造了更多机会。如果人们感觉不舒服,他们就可以在家里工作。他说,在大流行之后的世界里,在家工作可能是阻止疾病传播的重要组成部分。