On May 4, 2020, many economies in the Midwestern United States released their stay at home orders. Businesses were able to open their doors once again as many cities small town shops closed due to being non essential. Drive through dining was now not the only option and shortened business hours returned to normal, but at what cost?
As the number of COVID-19 cases reached a downfall, stay at home orders came to an end and economies were up and running once again. Just because day to day life can somewhat go back to normal, that does not mean that the last 5 months of a world wide pandemic has come to a sudden halt. The number of cases are still growing exponentially and the mortality rate is still high. Small town businesses and local shops could no longer afford to keep their doors closed. Gas prices were seen at their lowest in almost 30 years and schools became hollow ghost towns. To help accommodate the well being of the population that now deems it suddenly "safe" to be social and in close proximity with hundreds of people on a daily basis, social distancing rules have been set in place.
Day to day casual activities are now very different. Large stores have a maximum occupancy, the amount of people entering and leaving a building are counted, customary health questions are asked in many business that provide a personal or cosmetic service, and wearing masks in public is highly recommended, if not required by many businesses. The constants in life may have returned, but society will never be the same. Whether we view it as a tragedy or minor inconvenience, everyone is affected by these changes, and everyone handles them differently. In many ways people's lives have suffered large financial defecates because of these changes. People are wondering if over time social distancing rules will lose their value, or if we will be living life 6 feet apart for the rest of our given time.
For at least a years time social distancing is expected to be enforced in restaurants and shops, and in the near future there is hope for an effective vaccine or systems of ensuring public safety. In a positive light, many businesses are very supportive of each other and communities are coming together to save small business that are threatening to close. Patience is knew for the ones coping with loses and change, but there is hope for a more normal, social future.
