What the students of a University were missing and how to return to the everyday life after lifting COVID19 lockdown?

The pandemic caused by the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 affects both the physical and mental health of all population groups. Lockdowns, social distancing, and quarantining contribute to the deterioration of mental health. Studies show that these measures lead to negative psychological effects, including confusion, anger, and post-traumatic distress.The objective of our study was to investigate how lockdown affected students of the University of Patras in Greece during this pandemic. Beyond the effects on their psycho-emotional state, their lifestyle and their student daily life, we wanted to investigate what they lacked the most after the sixweeks-lockdown, so that the unprecedented experience of the pandemic becomes a cradle of new knowledge and the Universities can better care for the students in future situations.More than 2,000 students participated in the research, completing an online questionnaire. Particular emphasis was placed on the question “What is the FIRST thing you would like to do immediately after lifting the measures”, with answer options to go out for coffee/food/drink/fun with friends (58%) or with their family (5%), visit beauty and hair salons (16%), travel (6%), or go shopping (2%). The open last option “Other” answered by 246 (13%) students was qualitativly investigated. The thematic analysis revealed 13 categories, with first place “Restoring sociallife without restrictions”, followed by “Seeing their boyfriend/girlfriend”, but at the same time continue to be “Careful and take self-restraining measures”.In conclusion, the students want to return to a normal life or even to a new daily routine with protection measures that limit both exposure to the virus but also their spontaneity