It’s been just over a year since the UK first went into national lockdown, and the end is finally in sight.
The third national lockdown looks to be ending on 12th April, with restrictions of varying levels remaining in place until at least the 21st June.
During lockdown, people have been unable to do many things, including go to casinos, cinemas and gyms, or even visit their friends for large swathes of the last 12 months.
However, many of these things have been able to go online, and MM looks at some of the ways these various social activities have become popular on the internet.
Casinos
Online casinos have always been an option, but increasingly over the last year, people who would have gambled in person have turned to the internet.
As with many other industries, casinos have scrambled to make the most of the shift to online and have tried to embrace their new audience.
One way some have done this is by offering bonuses to new customers, such as the 888 Casino welcome bonus, whilst others have simply expanded their promotion or the range of services that they offer.
Cinemas
The brutal reality is that unlike other industries, cinemas have no natural way to transition to offering online services, and the film industry has been badly hit by the pandemic.
However, that doesn’t mean that the industry hasn’t been able to keep releasing films.
On top of existing streaming services already producing films like Netflix, Disney+ has released films such as Mulan and soon Black Widow directly onto the service, whilst charging a premium for films that would otherwise have to have been seen in the cinema.
Warner Bros also controversially revealed that its entire film slate for 2021 would be released on its streaming service HBO Max, rather than into cinemas, giving viewers a different option.
Game Nights
Everyone has gotten used to family pub quizzes over Zoom in the last year, but did you know that it’s still possible to hold a full game night with your friends?
Various websites, such as Backyard, offer a variety of online versions of popular board games, alongside video calling and traditional messaging services, allowing people who would usually meet in person to do the next best thing over the internet.
You can even listen to music or watch videos together, completing the big-game-night-in experience.
Gyms
Gyms, like cinemas, have been hit incredibly hard by the pandemic, and have not been able to open in the same way, or in any capacity really, for large swathes of the last year.
However, individuals have been offering fitness classes over Zoom, and many smaller gyms have been offering similar, encouraging people to keep fit over lockdown.
It remains to be seen how the pandemic has affected people’s desire to go to the gym long term, as many have found ways to stay fit and healthy in the meantime, whilst for individual trainers, online set-ups may prove a cost effective rival going forwards.
