That, I think, is still going to be a major factor even if/when/as states and countries officially open things.
Indefinitely.
I’ve been lobbying for telework for years to no avail. My bosses just like having us in the office, even if there’s no real reason for it (there’s really no real reason for it). Now that I am set up at home, I could and would happily continue working this way forever. Eventually I will have to go back in to the office but I will put it off as long as possible.
I was completely “sheltered at home” (outside of tentative forays for supplies) for 5 weeks. Illinois schools were shut down as of midnight on the 17th of March. The first 4 days were great. I caught up on sleep, cleaned the place, and took it easy. By the end of the 2nd week, I was bored. By the end of 5 weeks, I understood why people in dungeons used scratch marks on the walls to keep track of days.
I basically returned to work on my own. The principal was surprised to see me, and he said that I could schedule myself in any way that made me feel comfortable. I said I wanted to do 4 hours a day at work, and the rest at home dealing with Remote Learning issues. He said fine. That’s the way it has been ever since. LOL
That’s me too. Other than the internet being painfully slow at home, I’m good. I will probably be one of the last groups to be brought back in. I’m in the GIS department for a county government. Other than printing the occasional map, we don’t need to be physically in the office at all.
There has been an offer for me to physically pick up my office workstation and bring it home, but that won’t fix my internet latency, so I probably won’t do that. I do need to set up another monitor though.
Once/if SpaceX gets it’s Starlink constellation up, I’ll be golden.
Today’s struggle: trying to buy hair clippers online as I have gone seriously shaggy and my office is slowly moving from audio-only conference calls to video ones.
Everywhere is either completely sold out or only offering cheap crappy Chinese clippers at present (looking at you, Amazon). I managed to find a local place a short walk away that will order one to be picked up next week, so I’ll have to venture out briefly for that (with mask) when it comes in.
One good thing about satellite internet is I don’t do video meetings. I can phone in. Zoom with the latency and the data it eats up just ain’t gonna work. Co-workers understand.
Same. We have a week’s vacation coming up, and as the lockdown is being lifting, we can take cable cars to the mountains, travel within Switzerland and go to restaurants. We’ll take masks with us, and will wear them if we can’t be far enough from other people. The virus isn’t done with us yet.
But I don’t have a big desire to go wandering around the mall, and I really don’t want to go back to the office. As the company wants most of us to stay home, so we seem to be on the same page. As long as I stay in the same routine, the only time I need to wear a mask is at the hair salon and the doctor’s office. I’d rather do that than wear a mask all day.
At this point it is a struggle to leave to walk the 2 blocks to food shop. To get into the car is easier because it is a safe clean space. I can drive to the beach with my wife and sit in the car and look at the ocean. That’s safe. Getting into the car and driving to the laundromat to do laundry is incredibly unsafe. Air flow, no masks on some people, proximity. I’ve no choice, however.
I’m angrier and angrier with people walking by on the sidewalk with no masks. They could give a fuck and are proud of it.
I, at almost 58 with asthma and obesity, give a fuck. It tells me everything I need to know- again- about human beings.
I can only stay locked down like this for five or ten years*…
Yeah, I’m feeling guilty about how well I’m coping with this:
I’ve always been accused of being boring for staying home… but not now! Now I’m saving the world.
I’ve been too lazy to get my artwork in a gallery… but not now! They’re all shuttered.
My caution about major remodeling was assumed to be procrastination… but not now! I’m just being cautious, waiting til things normalize.
And I’ve always felt bad about ignoring friends for weeks at a time… but not now! It’s my civic duty.
*then I’ll have to go watch a football game at a bar.
I’m also in that general category. I don’t have to feel obligated to give awkward hugs to acquaintances I barely know…that’s not exactly wearing me down. At some point I’ll again be boring for liking to stay home, but I’m holding out hope the hugging strangers thing, which didn’t used to be nearly as much a thing, disappears for good.
It is a license of laziness though, and that’s not a good thing for a lot of people I think including myself.
I hear you. See, this’ll be great. The Type A (A for ‘Affectionate With Acquaintances’) will swoop in for a hug, but…
We’ll just back up and give a wave instead.
And, get this, they’ll think we care about them!