No event has felt this disruptive and widespread since the global recession of 2008. While back then we were dealing with a global financial crisis, this time, as President Donald Trump put it, we are grappling with an invisible enemy.
So just how will the world be different once this pandemic is behind us?
As was the case with the Great Recession, people are going to retrench for a while.
From souped-up cars and big vacations to fancy clothes, consumers are going to put the kibosh on high-end purchases until they feel that (1) the economy is mending (2) their financial affairs are in order.
The first order of business for many will be finding a job. Those who have been fortunate enough to still have jobs may be contemplating whether it's a good time to make a career move.
Now, where they'll be able to use their money -- at least in person -- is still an open question.
Restaurants are expected to begin opening up slowly, but the maximum number of patrons allowed -- and this also goes for places like movie theaters, libraries, churches, and department stores -- is still an open question.
However, you can rest assured that these establishments will aim to prevent large groups of people from convening.
It's possible that at schools, theme parks like Walt Disney World, and our own corporate offices, people will have their temperature taken before they can pass through the front door.
Events that draw big crowds like concerts and professional/collegiate sports games will likely continue to be postponed unless organizers enforce certain measures that patrons will have to abide by, or they risk being kicked out (e.g., mandating that people keep a certain distance from one another, whether they're in line at the concession stands or in their seats watching the event).
People will continue to wear masks, possibly into next year -- and that includes everyone from waiters at Denny's to school teachers.
The fallout from the coronavirus pandemic has prompted officials to make some pretty tough decisions as they aim to balance the health and well-being of citizens with the imperative to keep economies from collapsing.
I am confident that we will, in many ways, come out stronger and wiser from this, both personally and as a global community.
Federal and state governments will take steps to ensure that they're prepared to deal with a crisis of this scale if it were ever to happen again.
That includes beefing up the stockpile of medical equipment, retooling hospital procedures and protocols, installing hand sanitizer stations near the entrance/exit of virtually any business you can think of, and cutting out the red tape to facilitate a much more rapid response.
And we may very well see reluctant employers become more amenable to letting employees work from home.
Surely, we won't have to wear masks forever, but keeping good hygiene -- washing one's hands for at least 20 seconds, multiple times a day -- may very well become the norm for many, and it certainly wouldn't hurt.
History has shown us that we emerge stronger after a protracted crisis, whether we're talking about the Civil War or World War II, 9/11 or the the worldwide recession. This terrible outbreak is no different.
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