Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Jan 21, 2026

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

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Starmer Steps Back from Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ Amid Strained US–UK Relations
Prince Harry’s Lawyer Tells UK Court Daily Mail Was Complicit in Unlawful Privacy Invasions
UK Government Approves China’s ‘Mega Embassy’ in London Amid Debate Over Security and Diplomacy
Trump Cites UK’s Chagos Islands Sovereignty Shift as Justification for Pursuing Greenland Acquisition
UK Government Weighs Australia-Style Social Media Ban for Under-Sixteens Amid Rising Concern Over Online Harm
Trump Aides Say U.S. Has Discussed Offering Asylum to British Jews Amid Growing Antisemitism Concerns
UK Seeks Diplomatic De-escalation with Trump Over Greenland Tariff Threat
Prince Harry Returns to London as High Court Trial Begins Over Alleged Illegal Tabloid Snooping
High-Speed Train Collision in Southern Spain Kills at Least Twenty-One and Injures Scores
Meghan Markle May Return to the U.K. This Summer as Security Review Advances
Trump’s Greenland Tariff Threat Sparks EU Response and Risks Deep Transatlantic Rift
Prince Harry’s High Court Battle With Daily Mail Publisher Begins in London
Trump’s Tariff Escalation Presents Complex Challenges for the UK Economy
UK Prime Minister Starmer Rebukes Trump’s Greenland Tariff Strategy as Transatlantic Tensions Rise
Prince Harry’s Last Press Case in UK Court Signals Potential Turning Point in Media and Royal Relations
OpenAI to Begin Advertising in ChatGPT in Strategic Shift to New Revenue Model
GDP Growth Remains the Most Telling Barometer of Britain’s Economic Health
Prince William and Kate Middleton Stay Away as Prince Harry Visits London Amid Lingering Rift
Britain Braces for Colder Weather and Snow Risk as Temperatures Set to Plunge
Mass Protests Erupt as UK Nears Decision on China’s ‘Mega Embassy’ in London
Prince Harry to Return to UK to Testify in High-Profile Media Trial Against Associated Newspapers
Keir Starmer Rejects Trump’s Greenland Tariff Threat as ‘Completely Wrong’
Trump to hit Europe with 10% tariffs until Greenland deal is agreed
Prince Harry Returns to UK High Court as Final Privacy Trial Against Daily Mail Publisher Begins
Britain Confronts a Billion-Pound Wind Energy Paradox Amid Grid Constraints
The graduate 'jobpocalypse': Entry-level jobs are not shrinking. They are disappearing.
Cybercrime, Inc.: When Crime Becomes an Economy. How the World Accidentally Built a Twenty-Trillion-Dollar Criminal Economy
The Return of the Hands: Why the AI Age Is Rewriting the Meaning of “Real Work”
UK PM Kier Scammer Ridicules Tories With "Kamasutra"
Strategic Restraint, Credible Force, and the Discipline of Power
United Kingdom and Norway Endorse NATO’s ‘Arctic Sentry’ Mission Including Greenland
Woman Claiming to Be Freddie Mercury’s Secret Daughter Dies at Forty-Eight After Rare Cancer Battle
UK Launches First-Ever ‘Town of Culture’ Competition to Celebrate Local Stories and Boost Communities
Planned Sale of Shell and Exxon’s UK Gas Assets to Viaro Energy Collapses Amid Regulatory and Market Hurdles
UK Intensifies Arctic Security Engagement as Trump’s Greenland Rhetoric Fuels Allied Concern
Meghan Markle Could Return to the UK for the First Time in Nearly Four Years If Security Is Secured
Meghan Markle Likely to Return to UK Only if Harry Secures Official Security Cover
UAE Restricts Funding for Emiratis to Study in UK Amid Fears Over Muslim Brotherhood Influence
EU Seeks ‘Farage Clause’ in Brexit Reset Talks to Safeguard Long-Term Agreement Stability
Starmer’s Push to Rally Support for Action Against Elon Musk’s X Faces Setback as Canada Shuns Ban
UK Free School Meals Expansion Faces Political and Budgetary Delays
EU Seeks ‘Farage Clause’ in Brexit Reset Talks With Britain
Germany Hit by Major Airport Strikes Disrupting European Travel
Prince Harry Seeks King Charles’ Support to Open Invictus Games on UK Return
Washington Holds Back as Britain and France Signal Willingness to Deploy Troops in Postwar Ukraine
Elon Musk Accuses UK Government of Suppressing Free Speech as X Faces Potential Ban Over AI-Generated Content
Russia Deploys Hypersonic Missile in Strike on Ukraine
OpenAI and SoftBank Commit One Billion Dollars to Energy and Data Centre Supplier
UK Prime Minister Starmer Reaffirms Support for Danish Sovereignty Over Greenland Amid U.S. Pressure
UK Support Bolsters U.S. Seizure of Russian-Flagged Tanker Marinera in Atlantic Strike on Sanctions Evasion
×