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Friday, Oct 03, 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

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