As an SF writer my thoughts naturally turn to the future. What will be the long-term effects of this pandemic?
Telecommuting: This may be the tipping point for telecommuting and working from home. A lot of businesses have resisted the idea much longer than they should have — chiefly, I think, from a nagging sense among managers that if employees are not around to be watched, admonished, and dragooned into meetings, the role of manager will be diminished. But if the millions of Americans working from home these two weeks get as much (or more!) accomplished as they would have in their cubicles, then businesses are going to start wondering why they need all those cubicles in the first place.
That being said, as someone who has worked from home for nearly three decades, I understand the importance of getting out of the damned house. We may see people going out to coffeshops or "coworking" spaces just to do their telecommuting.
The distinction between work and home is a recent one; for most of human history your living space and your workspace were the same. I think it's the "default state," for humans. With the barriers removed I expect a surge of people to start making use of the option.
Homeschooling: I also expect there will be an uptick in homeschooling after this — not just among evangelicals, secular knowitalls like my wife and myself, and political enthusiasts of every stripe. Because despite all our sitcom griping and jokes, most parents actually kind of do like their kids, and vice-versa. After a fortnight of, effectively, homeschooling their own children, I think more parents may be willing to take the plunge.
Cleanliness: A general improvement in cleanliness and sanitation is likely. All the people (like myself on occasion) who grumbled about the foolishness of trying to keep things germ-free will shut up now, and we can expect a lot more hand-washing and hand-sanitizing. This may have useful long-term effects on the transmission of other diseases. (It may also breed sanitizer-resistant germs in time.)
However I don't expect any kind of extreme permanent "social distancing" to last. We're not going to wind up living in bubbles. Humans are social animals, and a face on a screen is simply not the same as actual presence. Your forebrain may be okay with teleconferencing but your hindbrain gets lonely.
Health: A personal data point: I've been home for a week now with my family, cooking fancy meals as a bit of stress relief. Diane has been doing a lot of baking. We've been drinking more wine and cocktails. I haven't been able to get to the gym.
. . . And I've lost about three pounds. Turns out that it really is easier to eat in a healthy manner if you're doing your own cooking. And that fast food really is fattening. Not to mention those absurdly huge cookies at Starbucks.
I don't know if this has been true for others, but we may see a modest resurgence in home cooking. Especially if all those telecommuters decide to use the travel time they save as time in the kitchen.
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