Impact of Covid-19

The Coronavirus pandemic started in 2019, in China. You, I and people around the world were shocked to see that it led to the death of more than hundreds of people in one day. This is a preview of what could happen if this outbreak becomes pandemic: the spread would be worldwide and affect most countries over time, with some countries completely wiped out from the virus. Unfortunately, this is what happened by March, 2020 it had been declared as a Pandemic. The pandemic hit badly in countries like the US, India and the United Kingdom. In UK all universities were shut down and there was a lockdown.

If you were an international student in UK, you might have even been sent back to your own country. The Universities were shut down for a year. There was a new way of learning which neither us, students nor the teachers were acquainted with. Online schooling had become, it might sound cool to you but it was not. It was a task for students to cover up in the pandemic. There was a massive change in the life of people, especially students like you and me. There were a lot of ill effects of lockdown on students. The public health response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic led to the introduction of local and national restrictions in 2020, while voluntary social distancing has been undertaken to reduce the spread of the virus. This has led to large falls in spending by households and businesses, while the economic policy response has provided financial support to households and businesses. If you were in UK for the lockdown period you were not allowed to step out of your home, and even if you did you had to wear a mask, maintain social distancing and follow all safety protocols.

We all faced issues during the pandemic some unemployment, some home online schooling, restricted physical contact or even isolation we all had to face our own cup of difficulties. Some of which impacted our mental wellbeing. Research published by global children’s charity Plan International UK found that around 40 per cent of girls in the UK feel their mental health has worsened since lockdown was established, while a survey carried out by the Mental Health Foundation concluded that almost a quarter of adults in the UK feel lonely amid the lockdown. Many online free help centres were introduced and many therapists took free sessions all across the world. The was a complete change in the life of students, we used to step out in the morning, go to college attend lectures, meet our friends, spend time with others. Humans are social beings we without human interaction of physical touch for a long time will feel like we are being tortured that is exactly what the pandemic made us feel. These lockdown and restrictions lasted about a year and few months, it started easing up in 2021 August with universities opening up in the UK because of the population being vaccinated. If you are an international student flying to UK you should be completely vaccinated that is having both the doses taken. If you are a student in the UK you don’t have to worry either anyone and everyone above the age of 18, irrespective of nationality is being vaccinated in the UK free of cost. If you are an international student, be ready, pack your bags, take your vaccine shots and you are good to fly to your University in the UK. If you go to the UK now, you will have a traditional training method as there are no longer restrictions on the approach to teaching and learning in higher education (HE) providers as a result of COVID-19. There is no requirement for social distancing or other measures within in person teaching. Providers are therefore able to shape their courses without restrictions to face-to-face provision. The government has removed the requirement to wear face coverings in law but expects and recommends that they are worn in enclosed and crowded spaces where people may come into contact with people they don’t normally meet. This includes public transport. So, you are basically getting back to normal lifestyle in the UK. Now doesn’t this sound exciting after a year full of struggles, stress, restrictions and lockdowns.

UK is now ready to have you back but are you all set to go?