London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 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
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
×