Hugs and handshakes have survived the pandemic. Not so much shared lipsticks and formal business attire

The coronavirus pandemic has proved an experiment in educated guesses. Experts in nearly every field, from public health and real estate to economics and labor, have offered predictions about how the virus would affect the world, well-meaning prophecies that were all but assured to transpire.

The first, in April 2020 came from Dr Anthony Fauci, the United States’ leading infectious disease expert, when he forecast the end of handshakes: “I don’t think we should ever shake hands ever again, to be honest with you.” Physical greetings were only the beginning. As the pandemic wore on, experts predicted the end of hugs, offices, cities, office wear, in-store cosmetic samples, co-working, ball pits, blowing out the candles on a birthday cake. While some conjectures have come to pass – Covid-19 would be a years-long battle and not a two-weeks-to-flatten-the-curve speed bump in the annals of human history – but others (see: the downfall of handshakes) have shown otherwise.