Blog

COVID Has Changed a lot

September 12th, 2022 by Kenneth Abrahams

COVID is over, or so I have been told, but call me crazy I don’t believe COVID is gone. Walking into stores, restaurants, and businesses, usually I am one of a handful of people wearing a mask. Truth be told, I am a little less vigilant at outdoor events, especially since I recently got my second booster. Weekly, there are reports in the Boston Globe on the number of infections and recent deaths from COVID. Although the numbers aren’t what we experienced 2 years ago, they are still significant. This has dragged on so long that people have become immune to the statistics and instead are enjoying the freedom of a return to a sense of normalcy.

COVID may be over, but the lasting effects will linger for a long time. Unfortunately, a lot of what the virus left behind is on the negative side of the ledger and not in the positive column. Gone far too quickly was the “we are all in this together” sentiment that had neighbors watching out for one another. It is doubtful that people in Italy are still standing on their balconies in the evenings having a giant group sing-along. Grocery stores are no longer filled with people thanking cashiers and the people bagging their groceries. Instead, they are complaining about long lines, and shortened hours at service counters. For many, family game nights, popular during lockdown, have once again been replaced by the hustle and bustle of over scheduled children and adults, grabbing a quick bite of dinner before heading out the door again. Sidewalks at 7 or 7:30 at night are no longer filled with couples and families strolling around the neighborhood, smiling as they see the same faces on a nightly basis. A number of abandoned pets, adopted during COVID, have been returned to the shelters they were rescued from.

Our lives and our businesses have changed. Even today, businesses are once again welcoming eager customers but are struggling to find help. On the news the other night they talked to a hotel in Boston whose work force had been cut in half. They were struggling to meet the expectations of their guests. That same story also had a graphic saying that unemployment is at 3.7 percent and that there are 2 jobs available for every worker looking for employment. It is hard to find and keep quality help in this type of environment.

COVID has, I believe, fundamentally changed the way that many people work. Some of the changes are fantastic. More people now prioritize their health, both mental and physical, as well as their relationships with family and friends, over their job. If something is not urgent for work, many will now save it for the next day and go home at a reasonable hour to have a dinner with their family. People are adjusting their work schedules to be able to have breakfast with their little ones and then see them off to school or get kids off the bus after school. Many are better prioritizing what is truly important; what they really need to spend time, effort, and emotional capital on. More people are taking those much-needed vacations and spending money they wouldn’t have spent 5 years ago. That trip to Disney now seems far more important than throwing a few bucks more in a retirement account. Perhaps you even bring the grandparents along because they will not be around forever. Cell phones and tablets that were once permanent fixtures in people’s lives now also get a break. Since COVID hit, more than a few friends or clients have mentioned that they are unplugging for a weekend or even a whole week. Ensuring that they are truly present for the people that they are with.

Not all the changes are as positive. Even though people are escaping the office more, and unplugging from their devices, a considerable number are now working earlier in the mornings and later at night, from their home offices. Weekends, which for so many used to be work free zones, are now a time to catch up on work or answer emails. For some, it may be a tradeoff for going in later or leaving early to spend more time with family, for others it, perhaps, is easier to concentrate or to start with a fresh slate or a clearer head on Monday morning. Originally, I thought this was just my clients, who are almost all colleges and universities, and rarely work 9-5 Monday-Friday. But, both in doing a little research and talking to friends that work in corporate America, this is more commonplace than it used to be. It is shocking the number of emails I receive from clients at all hours of the day and night.

There is significant distrust with some of the medical community through all of this. Information that was often given as fact turned out to be opinion or a guess based on the research available. In the initial stages of the pandemic, we were told that masks were not effective in stopping the spread unless they were surgical grade, like N95’s. Then, it was released that any face covering was beneficial. Surgeon General Jerome Adams even did a video that aired on social media and TV where he created a mask using a bandana or napkin and 2 rubber bands. As the pandemic dragged on the qualifications for effective masks continued to change; we had 2 ply, 3 ply, with and without filters, N95, KN95 and full respirators, the options seemed endless. Often, when you go to a doctor’s office, even if you are masked, they ask you to put one of their masks over it. Things are still evolving today. Massachusetts, as well as many other states, ran commercials that originally said if you got vaccinated you wouldn’t get the disease, be hospitalized, or die, all of which proved to be false. Those same commercials now say, if you get the vaccine and the boosters, you may not get COVID, but if you do, it may be less serious, you may not need hospitalization and you may not die. Make no mistake, I believe the medical community was doing the best they could but perhaps showing a bit more uncertainty or humility would have been warranted.

As the title of the blog states, COVID has changed the way we live and how we do things, a lot. It continues to impact our lives today and will for years to come. Whether it is the work from home revolution or the way we teach students, at a wide range of levels our world has been dramatically altered. You can make your own judgement as to whether the change is for the better or worse, but it is hard to ignore that things have changed. In March of 2020, most of us were unaware what was coming down the road. Based on what has happened, many are left with more questions than answers. Will this ever go away? Probably not. It appears as if it is here to stay. That being said, it should become increasingly manageable as time goes on. One thing is for sure, we can’t stop living our lives.

About the author:

Ken Abrahams enjoys observing what goes on in society. He is a confirmed people watcher and the last 2 years have been fascinating. Perhaps it is his sociology degree from Connecticut College or just his natural curios nature.

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