London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

50 things Brits say they won't do post-pandemic

50 things Brits say they won't do post-pandemic

Will you ever stand comfortably next to a stranger on the tube in rush hour again?

No, us neither.

The pandemic has understandably made us as a society extremely germ-conscious.

That coupled with the need for us to maintain space, avoid touching others and increase our hand hygiene will probably mean that we leave the pandemic with long-term concerns around activities we once did without worry.

A quarter of Brits won’t share a bag of crisps with friends anymore, neither will they use makeup samples in shops, and 19% won’t chat to someone in close proximity at a club, according to a new study by Vision Direct.

Going forward, their survey found that eight out of 10 people will consciously try not to share items with other people and nearly three quarters will make efforts to keep space between themselves and strangers.

Another thing one in 10 people will avoid when offices reopen is shared cutlery and mugs.

Psychologically, the pandemic has made us wary about having contact and catching illnesses from others.

Rebecca Strauss from Vision Express says: ‘There are no two ways about it, our lives have changed forever.

‘Hopefully if we have learned anything through all this, it is to be mindful of our own personal space and hygiene habits.’

These are the top 50 things people won’t do post-pandemic:

50 things people say they'll never do again post-Covid:


1. Use someone else’s lip balm

2. Sneak a bite of someone else’s sandwich

3. Use store makeup samples

4. Snog a stranger on a night out

5. Borrow a swimming costume from someone else

6. Use someone else’s makeup

7. Stand close to people at the bar or in a queue

8. Leave the house without hand sanitiser

9. Share a pack of crisps in a pub

10. Use someone else’s deodorant

11. Get someone to check if your breath smells

12. Go to a buffet-style restaurant

13. Hold the handrail on an escalator

14. Hold onto public transport e.g. the bus/tube handles/pole

15. Shake someone’s hand

16. Borrow gloves from someone else

17. Drink from mugs/glasses in work

18. hat in close proximity to someone in a club

19. Sit next to someone on public transport

20. Use office cutlery

21. Try on someone else’s glasses to see what they look like

22. Share clothes with a friend

23. Use your fingertips to push pelican crossing buttons

24. Use gym equipment after someone else

25. High five someone

26. Use someone else’s nail varnish

27. Share takeaway food dishes with others

28. Let someone else pack your shopping in the bags at the supermarket

29. Go to a live sporting event

30. Use a public toilet

31. Sit on a train without sanitizing the area

32. Hotdesk at work

33. Partake in free food giveaways at work

34. Use someone else’s pen

35. Try on sunglasses in a shop

36. Take part in an office ‘tea round’

37. Use your fingertips to operate cashpoints

38. Pay for things with cash

39. Check your hair in someone’s sunglasses reflection

40. Use a swing at a park

41. Buy something from a charity shop

42. Go back to the office at all

43. Accept a cup of tea from someone else

44. Go to shopping centres

45. Sit in the back seat of a car next to someone

46. Sleep over at someone else’s house

47. Having a slice of birthday cake at a party

48. Sample someone else’s baking

49. Pose for a group photo

50. Use a toilet at someone else’s house

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
Jellyfish Swarm Triggers Shutdown at Gravelines Nuclear Power Station in Northern France
×