Birmingham five years after lockdown: We ask Brummies what's changed most in their lives?
In Birmingham, residents reveal the most significant changes they have experienced since the lockdown ended five years ago. From lifestyle shifts to altered priorities, discover how life has transformed.
The impact of COVID-19 continues to shape lives in unexpected ways, from personal loss to shifts in daily habits.
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For one individual, the pandemic brought the devastating loss of their father, who contracted the virus just as the world was emerging from lockdown.
"My father passing away from COVID—that’s been the biggest change," they shared. "Right at the end, when we were just getting out of it, he caught it and he passed away. That was the biggest change, seeing it so close to me, the impact it’s had."
Despite the grief, they have noticed subtle but significant changes in society. One striking observation has been the increase in people walking as a family. "The one thing we notice—we're great walkers. We walk quite a long way each day. And I’ve noticed since lockdown, you see a lot more families out for family walks, getting their bus, and that’s down to lockdown, I think. That’s startling."
While lockdown was an isolating and painful period for many, this individual found unexpected solace in the stillness it provided. "I loved lockdown. I was suffering from a bereavement. And actually, the freedom, the lack of pressure, the empty streets—for me, were a real tonic."
Post-pandemic life has brought some lasting changes. "I probably go out more than I did before the lockdown. I don’t think it’s changed my habits much at all—apart from some of my volunteering ending. I haven’t gone back into that volunteering. I’m doing other volunteering, but not that volunteering."
As society continues to adapt, personal experiences like this highlight both the challenges and unexpected shifts in the way people live, grieve, and connect in a world still healing from the pandemic.