Life After Covid 19

Will life as we know it ever be the same after this epidemic has passed?  The answer, in my mind, is a resounding NO.  We are getting used to social distancing, and I think eventually we will be able to handshake, hug and kiss our friends and family.  What I think will change, is large gatherings.  At least for the foreseeable future, even if large gatherings are allowed, people are going to think twice before going to a ball game, a concert, a movie, or any other group event..

What will this mean for the Democratic and Republican conventions that are coming up?  What about football in the fall?  Will they play to empty stadiums, or, will they play at all?  Because of the virus they will not have worked out together, even if the virus does subside in the summer.  What about schools?  Will it be safe, at any level of education, to send kids back to school where they'll be in close contact with each other?  What about voting in November?  Will voters stand in long lines to cast their vote, or will we get our act together and go to voting by mail?  What about travel by plane or train or subway?  Will commuters be anxious to get on a packed subway or a crowded plane?

I have so many questions and absolutely no answers.  Guidelines seem to be changing daily, and it now looks like this pandemic is going to last longer than first thought.  Until we have a vaccine, which could be a year or more from now, many people will live in fear.  It's not a matter of if it comes back, but when.  We know it will resurface.  Hopefully, after the worst is over, we will be preparing for the next bout of Covid 19.  Oh, and by the way, if it's not Covid 19, it will be some other bug that raises its ugly head in the future.

These are treacherous times.  It's not just all going to go away one day and we'll get back to normal.  We have to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.  I feel confident that with the best scientific minds in the world working on the vaccine, we will have one next year, but until then we must all stay focused on keeping safe.