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Some periods of history are so bizarre that even if you’ve lived through them, looking back on them feels surreal, as though you were stuck in a bizarre nightmare. The Covid-19 pandemic is no exception. Although this is recent history, it sometimes feels like it happened decades ago.

To remind you of what a scary, odd, stressful, and confusing time it was, our team at Bored Panda has collected some of the weirdest photos from the pandemic era. Social distancing and mandatory masks are just the tip of the iceberg. Keep scrolling to travel back in time.

#1 Band Practice In Wenatchee, WA

#2 I Am Not Doctor But That Seems To Defeat The Purpose

#3 A Priest Giving Social Distance Blessings With A Squirt Pistol And What, I’m Assuming, Is Holy Water. 2020 Folks

Endless lockdowns. Masks. Social distancing. Working from home. Stockpiling toilet paper. Clapping for medical workers every day. Zoom calls. Odd graduations. Delayed weddings. Peculiar habits. Vaccine hesitancy. Constantly shifting governmental regulations. Declining mental and emotional health. Families ripped apart. Grifters selling protective equipment and hygiene products at a massive markup. Misinformation, disinformation, and politicization of vaccines.

It was a weird era, full of fear, stress, and uncertainty. For many people, it was one of the worst times of their lives. For others, it was a time when they could check out from their studies and work, and slow down.

#4 Graduations Looked Different

#5 Safety First

#6 “I’m Not A Cat”: Lawyer Gets Stuck On Zoom Kitten Filter During Court Case

While it’s easy to criticize governments and organizations for poor communication, slow responses, hypocrisy, or rules that didn’t make much sense, at the time, there was full-blown panic.

It’s difficult to make the right decisions when you lack information and with so many unknown variables about the illness you’re dealing with.

That being said, the pandemic exposed a lot of weaknesses in the way that the world reacts to major health crises. In a recent article, ‘Nature’ magazine points out that in some ways, the world is both better and worse prepared to handle another global pandemic in the future.

#7 Personal Space

#8 Supermarket Tactical Gear

#9 At That Time, Anything Could Be A Mask

“In some respects, there are grounds for optimism. For example, mRNA vaccines came of age thanks to rapid progress in research and technology — much of which occurred during the pandemic. Low-and middle-income countries’ capacity to make vaccines is greater now than it was in 2020, although there is still a long way to go before they are self-sufficient,” ‘Nature’ stresses.

“Nations have improved their systems for infectious-disease surveillance and have a better understanding of how to design fast clinical trials for testing vaccines and treatments during a crisis.”

#10 Next Level Method Of Avoiding The Wuhan Coronavirus

#11 Not Getting The Coronavirus… Spotted In The Atlanta Airport

#12 Got This Big Roll Of Toilet Paper As A Gag Gift For Christmas. Who’s Laughing Now!?

On the other hand, now, countries also seem worse prepared to handle another pandemic than in early 2020, when the World Health Organization declared that Covid-19 was an international public health emergency.

“When it comes to political will and financial backing, many have recoiled from taking the steps necessary to bolster pandemic responses. Politicization of the COVID-19 pandemic has stigmatized public-health authorities and guidance in some countries, and increased vaccine hesitancy,” ‘Nature’ explains.

#13 Trams Are Wearing Face Masks In Rabat, Capital Of Morocco

#14 A Goose Enforces Social Distancing

#15 Bender Looking For A Covid Scam

According to Joanne Liu, a paediatric emergency-medicine specialist at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and a former international president of the medical-aid organization Médecins Sans Frontières, “the science will deliver if we have a new emerging infectious disease. I think it will be the people who aren’t going to deliver.”

#16 Our Feline Friends Spotted Practicing Social Distancing Measures Amid The Covid-19 Pandemic

#17 America’s Response To The Covid-19 Global Pandemic All Boiled Down To One Picture

#18 A Guy Grocery Shopping With A Gas Mask After Confirmed Coronavirus Infection In Austria

As ‘Nature’ points out, efforts to boost vaccine equity since the pandemic have stalled. What’s more, it will be harder to prioritize pandemic preparations as more time passes since the end of the last international health emergency.

“The sense of urgency dwindles with each passing year and there is a strong desire to put the COVID-19 pandemic — sometimes described as a once-in-a-century event — behind us. That does not mean that the world has another 95 years until the next pandemic.”

As reported by ‘Nature,’ one study found an up to 50% chance of a similar pandemic in the next 25 years.

#19 The Denver Broncos Have The Entire Town Of ‘South Park’ In The Stands For Today’s NFL Game

#20 Me At Wholefoods, March 2020

#21 This Is How Our 5th Grader Is Coping With Monday Today. If Wearing A Plague Doctor Mask While Remote Learning Doesn’t Sum Up 2020 Schooling, I Don’t Know What Does

According to Liu, who, together with her colleagues, ran pandemic simulations after the outbreak of the Ebola virus in West Africa in 2014, they didn’t foresee how much the world would change a decade later, after the Covid-19 pandemic.

“None of us thought about the case scenario in which we would have leaders and a large part of the population that do not believe in science,” she explained.

#22 If You Don’t Have A Mask, You Make Your Own

#23 Ready For First Pandemic Halloween

#24 This Sweater Comes With A Matching Mask

According to ‘Nature,’ public health and infectious disease researchers must work closely with social scientists to understand how misinformation spreads, as well as how to counter it.

“Public-health authorities must learn how to better communicate uncertainty to both policymakers and the public, so that changes in guidance during the next pandemic do not give rise to distrust. But, ultimately, the first step is to hold on to the urgency of 2020. Do not let history be forgotten — or worse, rewritten.”

#25 An Italian Priest In Lombardy Felt It Was “Too Sad To Celebrate Mass In Front Of The Empty Pews”, So He Sent Out A Call For Selfies To His Parishioners

#26 These Social Distancing Gym Pods Are Reminding People Of Joe From Netflix’s You

#27 Circus Performers Line Up To Get A Covid Vaccination In London

Meanwhile, as reported by DZIF, the pandemic exposed critical deficiencies in the global health system. If the world wants to improve preparedness for future emergencies, there is a need for collaborative and globally equitable health strategies. These will help counter diagnostic limitations in resource-limited settings and socioeconomic disparities in testing capacity.

#28 A Dutch Hairstylist Turning An Umbrella Into A Makeshift Barrier Between Her Clients

#29 Got Covid Tested In Canada Today. Testing Centre Was A Hockey Rink, Front Desk A Hockey Net

#30 Oh Canada

Which of these odd photos did you find to be the weirdest, funniest, or most nonsensical? How did you handle the pandemic? Was it a time of extreme stress for you, or are you one of those people who feel low-key nostalgia for the lockdowns?

Do you think the world is better or worse prepared to handle another global pandemic? What lessons do you think we should all take away from the pandemic?

We’d like to hear your thoughts in the comments at the bottom of this list. Just remember to keep the discussion civil.

#31 Resorting To Illicit Actions To Survive In A Covid-19 World- First Step, Money Laundering

#32 Protection From The Covid-19 Coronavirus While Stockpiling Water At Wal-Mart

#33 My Brother’s New Covid Face Covering

#34 This Guys Isn’t Taking An Chances Of Getting Covid-19 5G

#35 Experts Recommend Keeping Your Daily Rituals Even While Working From Home

#36 They Said Put In A Mask. Didn’t Say Which Kind Of Mask

#37 My Pandemic Daily Planner

#38 The Frustration Of 2020

#39 A Small Movie Theater Near My Best Friend’s House Has Been Putting Up Relevant Movie Titles While They’ve Been Closed Due To The Pandemic

#40 Neighbors Have Not Been Driving Much Since The Pandemic Started

#41 Seen In Sullivan County TN

#42 My Roommates Zoom Meeting Attire

#43 When Will We Finally Get Through The Glut Of Covid-Era TV Shows Where Everyone Is Stood A Comically Large Distance Apart?

#44 How To Travel When There’s A Global Pandemic

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