New Brunswick’s Education Minister Dominic Cardy says in March of last year, he had one dominating emotion: fear.

"Fear that if we didn’t act, people would die," he said. "And a sense of responsibility knowing that position that I have meant that if I didn’t stand up and didn’t push hard, there could be terrible consequences."

"At some points in those weeks, it felt like trying to roll a very large rock up a steep hill," Cardy added.

On March 13, 2020, Premier Blaine Higgs finished up a meeting around 7 pm. He spoke to reporters waiting at the legislature, and announced schools would be closed for two weeks.

Two weeks turned into three months.

"I mean, that was a horrible decision to have had to make. I think it was the right one," said Higgs. "But it didn’t make it any less difficult and it didn’t reduce the severity of the consequences."

Higgs says he’s now concerned about the loss of learning for so many students, and has concerns about their mental health.

Cardy says some things will never go back to the way they once were – like the reliance on technology and the need for high school students to have a laptop. 

"A much greater awareness among the leadership level of the education system about the opportunities that technology in education can offer, but also the fact that nothing replaces the face-to-face relationship as a teacher," said Cardy.

AIR TRAVEL: A LONG ROAD TO RECOVERY

Another sector that has drastically changed is air travel.

Tiffany Chase at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport says it will take "quite a bit of time" to recover.

"Right now, we’re only connected to four Canadian destinations," she said in a Zoom interview with CTV News. "Pre-pandemic, that would have been 46 destinations around the world where you would have had the option for a direct flight."

"It will take us quite a bit of time, years in fact, to get back to those levels," Chase added.

However, she said the airport is constantly communicating with airlines, and preparing for when air travel picks up again.

"The travel journey may look different going forward in terms of any kind of health screening that may be permanently put in place,” said Chase. “We have requested to the province to add testing here at our facility and we’re waiting to hear back on that proposal."

‘LACK OF PERSONAL CONTACT’

While there are many obvious changes since the start of the pandemic – masks, standing in more lines, following arrows – there’s also changes you don’t always see, but definitely feel.

"The lack of personal contact. And I suspect that affected everybody," said Fredericton resident Bruce Driscoll.

"The fact that you had to stay in, and even though you could amuse yourself up to a certain point, I think for most of us, there’s a need to have human contact on a regular basis," said Driscoll.

"It was very different than the experience that I kind of had in my head," said Lila Gorey-McSorley, who started post-secondary school during COVID-19.

"The school I go to is more hands-on than most, so I’m quite fortunate – but it’s still weird learning online," she said. "Not seeing friends, not seeing family. It’s just, really more isolating."

In Halifax, Amber Seymour has been working from home since the start of the pandemic – so she’s saving time by not commuting. "Which is nice," she said. "Our staycations have changed, I’ve seen a lot more of the Maritimes."

She says, for her, the pandemic has had its pros and cons.

"I miss a lot of my friends, a lot of my coworkers, so there’s been some negative," said Seymour. "But I’ve spent a lot more time with my family. And I’ve come to appreciate a lot more home cooking."