Whilst some behavioural changes will prove temporary, others will stick
Past pandemics have transformed societies—and this time it’s no different. As restrictions ease, glimpses of a pre-pandemic world have begun to reappear. Will life ever return to normal? To answer this question, The Economist has devised a “normalcy index” to track how behaviour has changed, and continues to change, because of the coronavirus pandemic.
A selection of our stories about covid-19 and its consequences
Since it emerged in China in December 2019, the coronavirus has killed over 4m people, infected many millions more and compelled governments around the world to lock down their populations. The rapid development of vaccines has at least offered some grounds for optimism. To stay up to speed with The Economist’s latest coverage of the virus and the vaccination drive, you can bookmark this hub page; register to receive our weekly newsletter, which has a special edition showcasing our coronavirus coverage; and follow our data trackers showing the global roll-out of vaccines, excess deaths by country and the virus’s spread across Europe and America.