I know that I personally have been a lot snippier with people as this has gone on and on.
Honestly at this point the only thought I really give to Coronavirus is that I wear a mask at the grocery store as a courtesy to others.
We avoided all our friends from March - July. The past two months we've started just seeing them as normal. It's been beneficial for all of us.
But at the same time, we used to go to a coffee shop as a family every day for lunch. Haven't done that in six months. Don't know if it's a habit we'll pick back up or not when someday things go back to normal. On the one hand, we spend a lot less money. On the other hand, we miss out on a lot of spontaneous interaction with our community.
On the same note, we used to be pretty involved in our church. We went weekly, had our kids in Sunday School, went on Wednesdays during Lent and Advent.
Now? Haven't been in six months. Thought about going back, but they (fairly) care more about avoiding any possibility of risk than getting bodies back in pews. I have no desire to make three preschools try to sit through a church service wearing masks and not interacting with anyone.
My prediction is that the lockdowns will be absolutely devastating to religious observance in the US. At the very least, I expect it will drive a lot of already financially-precarious churches to permanently close their doors.
I'm always amazed when I need to go into the city by how few people there are on the train. There's a significant decrease, my personal impression is something like -50%. I can't tell whether it's people being afraid and avoiding public transport, most of the entertainment venues being closed or limited so there's nothing to do downtown, or some other reason, but it feels like there has been a lot of really-not-necessary traffic and it's highlighted now.
It isn't though. It might seem that way to people in cushy software development positions in the valley, but I don't believe that is happening very many other places.
It might be an upside for some people but it is definitely a downside for others.
PS: I've worked from home for more than 10 years, for several companies.
Another possibility is that immunity to SARS-CoV-2 is permanent. In that case, even without a vaccine, it is possible that after a world-sweeping outbreak, the virus could burn itself out and disappear by 2021. However, if immunity is moderate, lasting about two years, then it might seem as if the virus has disappeared, but it could surge back as late as 2024, the Harvard team found.
I was in the grocery store line yesterday. A lady in her late 50s behind me said “how long is this going to take?”
I thought she was asking about the line, so I said “maybe 2 minutes”
She responded “No, I meant the virus”
I told her “I have no idea, I hope it goes away soon”
The social distancing is having a negative effect on people psychology in my opinion.
Something good that can come out of this is a better way to develop vaccines and testing technology.