It’s safe to say that Covid-19 has affected people’s lives in some way over the past 18 months. Weeks of lockdown, not seeing loved ones, and businesses not being able to open has created a tough time for people all across the world. The pandemic has brought a unique set of challenges and difficulties, but people can now start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. All over the world, vaccines are being administered to help protect individuals from the virus. Although it is not yet over, people can begin to anticipate the end.
Business owners all over the globe will have felt the wrath of Covid-19 strongly. A huge majority were forced to shut completely, with some not having even reopened yet. In contrast, others were put in a situation where they had to make the most out of a bad situation. For example, South West Business Show Great Resilience Amid Uncertainty from the Coronavirus. Their quick adaptation to the circumstances provided hope for many.
Either way, positive or negative, every industry has been affected in some way, with only a select few benefiting. But what industries have been hit the worst by the virus?
Nightlife
The likes of nightclubs have been the industry that has been the longest affected by the virus. Due to the nature of behaviour in a nightclub, it has been hard for governments around the world to warrant their opening. Nightclubs mostly consist of intoxicated people in a close space socialsing, a situation that the virus could thrive off. For many countries, it is still unclear as to when they will begin to reopen safely. Having been the first industry to close and the last one to open, the nightlife industry has definitely been hit the hardest by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Airline and Travel
Another industry that got very badly impacted by Covid-19 is airline and travel. As the virus developed and spread, it became clear that travel was one of the leading causes. Travelling is such a common thing to do in the modern-day. Hundreds of thousands of people would travel every day across the globe. With this considered, it’s no surprise the virus spread as quickly as it did. Of course, before travel was halted, testing wasn’t as efficient, and it was not as easy to regulate the virus. This meant that non-essential travel had to be stopped during the peak of the virus. It’s only recently that some countries have permitted non-essential travel in and out of their borders. Due to the vast number of people who regularly traveled for leisure, it’s not surprising to hear that airline and travel companies lost huge amounts of money over the past 18 months.
Leisure Facilities
People mixing was essentially a no-go during the peak of the virus. People were confined to their homes and unable to mix with other households. This made leisure facilities close as it is almost impossible to open under these restrictions. The restrictions led to various leisure facilities, such as cinemas, arcades, water parks, and much more, to close their doors for months. Again, it was only in recent months where governments began permitting the reopening of leisure facilities. Even still, these places will have to have a reduced number of attendees and additional restrictions.
Restaurants
Restaurants were one of the biggest talking points when it came to restrictions. They were heavily impacted as they were forced to close their doors for months. The only option for restaurants was to offer takeaway services, although this was not worthwhile for many establishments. Many just had to wait out the virus until it was safe enough to welcome people back. Even still, many restaurants could only offer their customers outdoor dining, depending on government protocols. Even eateries that could welcome customers indoors must adhere to social distancing rules and wear face coverings when not sitting at the assigned table.
Music
Musicians have gone a long time without playing live shows. Concerts, similar to nightclubs, consist of people in very close contact with one another. Although more easily regulated than nightclubs, live shows are still not quite regular around the world yet. There have been many trials of concerts and drive-in shows, but the music industry is still suffering as a result of Covid-19. It is likely that it will be another while until people are able to go to concerts with large gatherings, with vaccines and negative tests required upon entry, making it a more laborious process to attend these events.
