It’s been more than three years since COVID was declared a pandemic and as of today, the World Health Organization says the global health emergency is now over.

Our lives changed in many ways. We lost friends and family, we changed our habits and we followed some very strict rules.

As the emergency comes to an end, we are taking a look back at some of the things we were doing during the early days of the pandemic that we probably never could have imagined.

Panic-buying toilet paper

#Costco lineup in #downtown vancouver today. Line went back to the back of the store, like as in, last aisle. Busy but also eerily quiet too. pic.twitter.com/nCBC2giEku

— crystal_kwon (@crystal_kwon) March 13, 2020

During the very early days of COVID, we didn’t know much about the disease or how we could be impacted. For some reason, Canadians started buying obscene amounts of toilet paper.

Binge watched Tiger King

Nothing sums up the start of the pandemic like uncertainty and the Tiger King. Your friends, family, and coworkers were ALL talking about this Netflix show, which has become quite controversial over the years.

Wiped down our groceries

Safety came first. In addition to limiting the number of people allowed in grocery stores, we also came home and used wipes to clean everything.

Drive-by birthday parades

We couldn’t celebrate in person, so many people decided to do birthday drive-bys, which meant we wouldn’t compromise our bubbles.

Ate Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners alone

Holidays were cancelled. Most of us took the advice of health officials and scrapped plans for big meals with family and friends over Christmas, Thanksgiving, and even Easter.

Downloaded the House Party app to see our friends

Our weekends were pretty lonely. A lot of us downloaded the House Party app, which was meant as a way to stay connected with our pals. But honestly? Did it EVER actually work properly?!

Stopped petting stranger dogs

This was not an easy change. We could no longer pet cute dogs that we saw on our daily walks as we tried to get some fresh air.

We were told glory holes were a safer option

Health officials in BC shared tips on having safe sex during the COVID-19 pandemic to help reduce the spread of coronavirus while getting up close and personal, and one of those suggestions was glory holes.

Cutting our own hair

This was a tough one — and many people showed up with some interesting lewks on those work Zoom calls after they cut their own hair or had their partner do it for them.

Started working from home and only wearing sweats

Many of us were basically told to go home and stay there for a couple weeks — which then turned into months, and even years. Instead of getting ready and commuting, we would roll out of bed and log on.

Tried to homeschool kids

Many parents had to pull double duty and had to homeschool their kids as they tried to get their own work done.

Stopped hugging or touching other people

Elbow bumps became the greeting of choice for a lot of us since we could no longer hug friends or shake someone’s hand.

Bought a Nintendo Switch

The Nintendo Switch rocketed to the top of sales charts as people were figuring out what to do with all the spare time they had.

Severed friendships over controversial views

A lot of people had some rather controversial views during the pandemic and politicians, including Donald Trump, had some thoughts that divided families and ended relationships.

Bought puppies

Pandemic puppies were huge as people were spending more people at home and let us have the chance to gain a new friend.

You might also like:
• WHO declares end of COVID-19 global public health emergency
• The US is about to end its COVID vaccine mandate for travellers
• "Glory holes" listed among BC health officials' tips for safe sex amid pandemic