Do we continue to shake hands in business situations? I notice watching netflix and such how much people actually touch each other on a regular basis. I really do think that I will be far more aware of my space bubble going forward. Do we see an uptick of people wearing masks in every day situations like in many asian countries? I honestly do think that this changes a lot of every day habits going forward.

If this thing comes and goes and we never see it again. Probably not too much. But if this becomes a situation where we are trying to halt an outbreak every few years then yes I think many people will start to be more aware of their personal space.

I think we need to embrace the japanese bow

I sure hope it doesn't change... I know I wont change my habits. Human interaction is what makes us, well, human. This too shall pass.

Why are people so strongly against masks. They are evidently very effective.

Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess

Who cares...this economy looks absolutely wrecked. Unemployment record of 3.28 million in one week just occurred. Be lucky you have work, lend help to your community where you can. This storm is just starting.

I hope stores continue the curb side service.

deadbq03 said:

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All we need is a little less distrust of science. That's it.

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I agree but what this really means is we need less politicization of science. Like it or not the whole Global Cooling Warming Climate Change thing combined with the "cell phones cause brain cancer thing" combined with the whole "breast implants cause breast cancer thing" has seeded a tremendous amount of distrust in "science". Like COVID-19 Global Warming is another thing where a computer model that has largely proven false (where's the hockey stick and why isn't NYC underwater already) has taken on a life of it's own despite all of the predictions of doom and gloom being wrong. When the real world doesn't mimic the model we have to be able to take a step back and say, "what are we missing here?" but we've gotten bad at that. Science says it's true and that's what I want to hear so I'm going with it. There are people that want the science to be right or wrong and they have become emotionally attached to those outcomes to the point where it's no longer science. That's got to stop. If/when it does we'll trust science more. Until then they've earned the distrust.

I think we will have a form of national PTSD for years to come. It will manifest itself in different ways - heightened fear of flu and flu-like illnesses (especially as we move into fall / winter), hoarding / prepping, continued social distancing even after the Corona virus ebbs, increased personal savings relative to investment, etc. It will gradually diminish, assuming more new viruses don't cause similar disruption in the near / intermediate term, but vestiges of the behavior modification caused by this virus will remain for a long time.

Ozzy Osbourne said:

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Why are people so strongly against masks. They are evidently very effective.

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completely puzzling to me

I think Westerns feel like it communicates weakness

I will do my best to avoid shaking hands going forward. I a little bow/nod of the head shows deference and respect and that's the way I am going. I also think I will always have Purell (when I can get it again) in the cup holder of my car!

People will be more mindful of germs going forward. For example, hand washing habits will improve and social distancing (to some extent) will continue forward. Not in the sense that people will completely self isolate, but more so that people will be mindful of maintaining space among themselves. Mask wearing might become a bit more prevalent but I have my doubts they will be worn by the majority of the population.

I think there were some existing trends in the restaurant and live event space that will be accelerated by COVID-19. For the restaurant industry takeout / delivery models have already been on the rise for the last 5 years with UberEats / Grubhub / etc... This will only cause that model to continue to gain market share. I'm guessing we lose a solid 25%+ of existing sit-down restaurants. For the live event space (sporting events, concerts, etc...) we will continue to see a decline in attendance. Initially (post Virus, if there is such a thing) it will be pretty steep. It should improve a bit as time goes on but will never be like it used to. Television started that decline, COVID-19 will only add to it.

It was already pointed out that the workplace will change (for the better). Working from home wasn't a thing at my company until 2 weeks ago. That is probably a common story and I think people will like working from home. It saves on commute time / transportation costs and makes for a more flexible schedule. Of course having a shared workplace to visit for collaboration is a good thing but those things can be scheduled. There isn't justification to force people to physically be in the office for 40+ hours a week if not necessary, plus we have all been in too many pointless meetings that could have been done online.

I think there will be political ramifications as well. The New Deal came about during the Great Depression. Shock events like a global pandemic tend to lead to additional government involvement. Sometimes for the good, sometimes for the ill. This one is harder to predict because we don't know how bad the looming recession will be.

John Tierney had an interesting piece on handshaking a few days ago.

Goodbye to Handshakes --- and Good Riddance

These "We Work" spaces will die a slow death. Office const., especially downtown locations, probably will come slower death. Movie theaters....this one will get interesting. The new ones with the large chairs and distance, might be OK. The old school model, sitting arm to arm with stranger, could be in trouble.

Hopefully this will stop those wet markets in China. I have my doubts.

People have a short memory, a year from now hand shakes and the like will be normal again

Business will change drastically though. I think a lot of people will use this as a trial run for working from home. Many will realize they're equally as productive, if not more productive, working from home than at an office. Now they'll have proof to show superiors that they can work from home just fine. Companies might expand the number of remote employees they have while shrinking office space and saving money on rent

I would hate to be all in on commercial office space.

People are coming to terms with the fact that "**** we really can do this remotely".

My current client was huge on making everyone come in to the office. They are pretty happy with how everything is going after moving remote