Out With The Old, In With The New
Once quarantine runs its course and society is allowed back on the streets and businesses are allowed to reopen, the world that we will enter will be forever altered. Although, it will not be as drastic as opening the front door and being in Narnia, the world as we once knew it will come with its new changes. Companies may not be able to afford to reopen, jobs will be scarce, and massive crowds will be limited.
Companies all around the US have had no income for months and consequently have been forced to shut down. When the virus spread ceases they will still not have enough money to reopen or pay employees. Many of the businesses that people were used to shopping at might be gone. USA Today released an article on a personal trainer, Amanda Tikalsky, who discussed how her training program had been seriously affected from the corona virus and how she believes her job will be continue to be different when the pandemic is over. USA Today states in their interview with Tikalsky, “But even when the virus threat is gone, Tikalsky predicts that many customers will continue to exercise from home,” (Wiseman and D’Ínnocenzio). Amanda had to convert her training to online which caused her to lose a large part of her customers. Amanda’s thought on post pandemic life is shaping up to be more true than false because gyms are a hot spot for germs and bacteria and now people will have in their mind the possible dangers of going to the gym for a workout.
Furthermore, many people in the country have lost their job due to the corona virus and may not be able to find another one for a long time. Amanda Mull wrote a story for “The Atlantic” on students who had received internships for the summer of 2020 and now they might lose out on that opportunity. Computer science major from Arizona State University, Ananay Arora, was looking forward to his internship at Apple for the summer and now he does not know whether it will get cancelled or not. He states in the article, “It’s not just a summer job: In the tech industry, being a good intern is by far the best way to get a coveted job offer after graduation,” (Mull). This quote shows how important internships are to students getting ready to graduate college in order to find a potential future job. Many students have lost their internships or had them put on pause due to the corona virus which seriously affects their ability to find new internships or jobs post pandemic. This issue is also relevant to businesses losing money in the pandemic because they might want to hire new employees but just not have the funds to do so.
In the world we used to know it was normal to be bunched together in a large crowd for a concert singing along to our favorite songs or pushed into a subway cart to its absolute maximum on the way to a Yankee game. However, after the corona virus ends people may be a little more hesitant to put themselves in the potential dangers of a large crowd. The Los Angeles mayor discussed in an article covered by CNN that large gatherings may not be allowed till 2021. The Mayor stated when talking about future sport events and concerts, “The last thing I want to do is gather 10,000, 20,000, 50,000 people in one place. That’s like the exact opposite of social distancing,” (LeBlanc; CNN). Sport events and concerts are truly the opposite of social distancing and there will not be any events with large gatherings until the possibility of the corona virus spiking backup is scientifically proven to be low. Currently after meetings the mayor had been in, he shared that it is looking like large gatherings are not expected to occur until 2021.
People around the world are hoping for the coronavirus pandemic to come to an end soon and places are considering lifting quarantine restrictions, but the virus is still out there. Even if businesses reopen and life as it used to be seems to be coming back to some, the world we left has been seriously altered and the new world awaits. New York Times states, “But they are returning to a world reimagined for the age of coronavirus, where social distancing, hygiene standards and government-imposed restrictions are infused into nearly every activity — a way of life that is likely to persist until a vaccine or a treatment is found,” (New York Times). New York Times further backs the notion that life as we knew it has been changed until the coronavirus is able to be treated, and even then new expectations of self-hygiene and safety standards are going to have to be achieved.
Work Cited
“Coronavirus Live Updates: India Reports Its Biggest Single-Day Rise in Cases.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 2 May 2020, http://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/02/world/coronavirus-news.html.
LeBlanc, Paul. “Los Angeles Mayor Says Large Gatherings like Concerts and Sporting Events May Not Come Back until 2021.” CNN, Cable News Network, 16 Apr. 2020, http://www.cnn.com/2020/04/15/politics/los-angeles-mayor-coronavirus-concerts-cnntv/index.html.
Mull, Story by Amanda. “Generation C Has Nowhere to Turn.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 22 Apr. 2020, http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/04/how-coronavirus-will-change-young-peoples-lives/609862/.
Wiseman, Paul, and Anne D’Ínnocenzio. “Businesses after Coronavirus: Is It Too Late to Go Back to How It Was?” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 7 Apr. 2020, http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2020/04/06/coronavirus-service-industry-changed/2958962001/.
English 110 Honors Spring 2020 
I love how you hit on so many different topics about how coronavirus will affect jobs, the economy, and even how we will interact with one another for the indefinite future. I like how you have a casual yet also serious tone throughout your piece. When you started off by saying, “Although, it will not be as drastic as opening the front door and being in Narnia,” I couldn’t help but smile at the comparison. I also think it was a powerful tactic to zoom in on specific people’s lives and how they are affected by this pandemic. It is one thing to say that fitness trainers and soon-to-be graduating college students are suffering from the shut down, but to give first hand accounts makes it a lot more personal. I like how you highlight the fact that this is not only affecting people working at businesses but also college students who had jobs lined up that are now being cancelled out of their control. As you wrap up your piece, I think it was great that you added small more personal anecdotes like being ” bunched together in a large crowd for a concert singing along to our favorite songs or pushed into a subway cart to its absolute maximum on the way to a Yankee game.” This heightens the relatability and emotional significance for the reader and shows how much we all crave to feel connected. Great job and I good luck with the last two weeks of classes!
Cally Carmello
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Your opening paragraph was really pulled me in. I loved your comparison the sentence “Although, it will not be as drastic as opening the front door and being in Narnia, the world as we once knew it will come with its new changes. ” At a time like this, change is inevitable, and as a person who likes structure and does not like change, it’s definitely something that I still need to come to terms with.I really liked how you touched on the topic of jobs as well as personal aspects of life within your post. It is crazy to think about how drastically this pandemic has changed the way that people’s jobs, opportunities, and interactions with people have been altered. I also found it interesting when you mentioned that large gatherings may not be allowed until 2021. It makes me think of how even once we are not living in self isolation, we will not be able to go back to our “normal” life. It also makes me wonder how school will work, considering that on campus, people are gathered in large groups of people in buildings all the time. Your post definitely made me reflect on different parts of life that I had not thought about originally. I really enjoyed reading your post!
-Joanna
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I really liked reading about the different aspects that you covered in each paragraph. I found your post very insightful overall. It’s hard wrapping my head around our new reality and potential future after the virus. Personally, I was looking forward to going to a bunch of concerts this summer with friends and some were canceled and others postponed. 😦 When it comes to students and their struggle with internships, I am trying to stay hopeful that there will be adjustments made so that they can still hold these positions. Your post did a great job highlighting the specific ways that we will all be affected!
Thanks for the good read!
-Bel
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