LIVING IN THE CORONA FUTURE

It just seems that it will be impossible to get back to the life we were used to before we knew of COVID-19.  There are so many potential risks associated with letting down are guard.  Will we feel comfortable sitting in restaurants, going to movie theaters, flying on airplanes?  Will there ever be an effective vaccine that will allow us to treat the coronavirus as we treat the Influenza virus?

Of course, we have much to learn about this infection before we can give definitive answers to these questions.  It may take years before we have proven the reliability and safety of a vaccine.  Medicines, like those used to treat the flu, will require increased substantiation that we will be able to live through a COVID-19 infection before our behavior will change.

In earlier posts on my blog I have discussed lifestyle habits that can strengthen us individually against this infection.  A healthy future demands greater sacrifice in our lives than we have accepted in the past.  If the virus proves as virile as it seems to be, if it recurs or never really becomes dormant like the flu, if it resists attempts to make us immune, then we must take individual action. 

Smoking of any kind will increase susceptibility to the virus.  This is a starting point for the discussion because most unhealthy lifestyle habits – whether omissions or commissions – are addictive.  Like nicotine.  They are difficult to stop. 

A successful society will need to make healthy habits and choices attractive to as many as possible.  If we all live our lives as if strong bodies and cellular function are of prime importance, it creates a different kind of herd immunity.  It protects everybody to some degree.  It also interests and encourages more and more people to participate in the best paths toward personal well-being.  I will continue to write on my blog the tools we need to brighten our future.

More barriers may be a big part of this solution.  Physical barriers.  Restaurants could institute programs of modular movable walls between tables.  These walls can go to the ceiling and maintain containment.  The material of the walls will be functional.  Virus particles should not be able to penetrate or pass through these barriers.  The walls could contain either chemical, electrical, or another agent that kills viruses and other microbes.  Such capability is close to being realized in face masks already.  Incoming air can be directed through filters.  Servers can hand food via a drawer at table level.

This concept can be applied to outdoor seating.  Circular tables walled in by protective barriers can give privacy and allow people to walk through the premises will still allow patronage.   A means of being able to see outside the enclosure will add comfort when someone needs to leave.  

Fans above each “cubicle” can direct upward air flow, drawing expired air into ceiling filters.  The strength of airflow can be minimized to be effective without excessive discomfort. 

Tables should be six feet long.  Two couples can then dine together at minimal risk.  If necessary, there can be transparent barriers between the couples.  This arrangement raises the possibility for smaller tables and larger numbers of people in the restaurant.

Bathrooms should have a self-sterilizing mechanism.  This can operate like a car wash, spraying the entire space and then drying it.  There will be many other proposals for how to handle this aspect of shared community life.  Many restaurants will require reservations.  We will need a system to give everyone a chance.  With fewer tables, it may be more difficult to get seared.  

Ventilation adjustments.  Chemical innovations.  Use of electricity.  Some are already being developed.  Some exist.  Ultraviolet light to purify river water when camping has been shown to be effective.  This and other possibilities need to be investigated.  Brilliant and inventive people will rise to the challenge.

The above practices can be applied to schools, airplanes, entertainment venues, places of worship, and other venues where people congregate. 

Children in a classroom can be seen by their teachers if the cubicles are staggered, for example.  The barriers may inhibit cell phone transmission and reception.  Interaction among the students can be facilitated by dedicated personal video devices in each learning station.  The nature of such communication can be directed by a program. 

On airplanes, everybody is isolated in their own spaces.  A family or couple traveling together can open up the seat divisions as desired.  Many airlines already use ventilation systems that are protective.  These can be adapted to other venues.  Bathroom use can be by numbered reservation or some other protocol.  Meal service may end for shorter flights.  The same procedures used in restaurants could be applied for food service on longer flights.  Overhead carryon luggage space should be banned, it keeps people in the aisles.  Each person would have a small storage space within their “cubicle.”  Checked luggage will be the only option.  A computerized recognition system that delivers each person’s suitcases to a personalized and walled-off receiving area where each isolated person or family can wait for baggage pickup.

Airports will have single file walled off corridors.  They may have moving walkways that enforce distance.  There are other possibilities.  Vendors can display their options along these pathways.  There should be many opportunities to stop and stand in a walled off spot to take advantage of food and purchase opportunities.

This principle may be copied in shopping malls.  Nobody will be walking through a central open area.  All walking traffic will be enclosed in airports, malls, and similar venues.

Movie theaters, sports events, concerts, etc.  Everybody gets their own private or shared space.  The enclosure would include a little ceiling above them to prevent accidental introduction of anything from the row behind.

It may reduce the numbers of attendees at these various attractions.  But television enjoyment of a sports event is enhanced with the noise of the crowd.  The broadcast revenue stream will help make productions feasible. 

Barriers will have many applications to allow the new normal to develop.  There will be many adjustments to increase their practicality.  The massive production of barrier materials will help to lower the cost.  It’s not the same as before, but it’s a way to get started.