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Social Changes in the Face of Covid-19

Don Maurer

    In Science Magazine (2016) scientists stated: “The United States needs to be ready for serious epidemics and even a global epidemic.” How prescient can you be. Further the article suggested: “The next president should implement the U.S. National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria.” The Plan launched in 2015 would curb the overuse of antibiotics in health and agriculture which has favored increasing disease resistant strains. Bacteria and viruses can and do mutate producing different effects than previously documented. “Evolution promises unpleasant surprises.”
    Medical science has been hesitant and rightfully so informing us how long the 2020 pandemic would last. Even assuming the development of a viable vaccine how might this effect future consequences?
    Entertainment
    During the pandemic movie houses, theaters, restaurants and bars were locked down. Important for movies and theaters has been the development of streaming. The latter refers to any media content – live or recorded delivered to computers and mobile devices via the internet. Played back in real time. Podcasts, webcasts, movies, TV shows and music videos are common forms of streaming. This provides an alternative to cable and satellite on demand service. The latter refers to customer selection of a movie title produced by a variety of services (Amazon, Apple, etc.).
    Assuming recession of the pandemic will streaming new movies significantly replace regular cinema attendance? New movies are presently being streamed. As a result streaming has become a viable change or adaptation during the pandemic. Its popularity suggests the possibility of a long term change for the movie industry replacing regular movie attendance.
    Sports
    The 2020 NBA Bubble located at Walt Disney World near Orlando Florida was created to protect players and all supporting personnel from the covid-19 pandemic. Games were played without fans.
    Regular testing indicated that infections were rare. Infected personnel were immediately quarantined. Fortunately no serious problems emerged. During the championship a few family members player per player were permitted entry to the complex. The Bubble was a creative solution mitigating a potential super spreading event. In view of the sacrifices teams’ faced in the playoffs cutoff from their families, it is unsure whether the Bubble experience would be repeated. However, for the 2021 March Madness the NCAA has proposed holding it at one site (Indianapolis) to reduce travel. Limited capacity with mandatory masking for the fans may be imposed.
    Other major U.S. sports (NFL, MLB) do not lend themselves to the Bubble concept.
    Football, the Nation’s most popular sport, faces a number of challenges. Rosters of 53 men per 32 NFL teams compared to 15 for 30 in NBA puts many more men to risk. Moreover a game featuring continuous human contact with pile ups on the ground provides numerous opportunities for infection. Players crowded together on benches is not helpful either. In addition, the equipment and jerseys provide ideal sits for covid-19.
    The major change or adaptation has been to play without fans. Teams are also experimenting with reduced capacity. For the 2021 Super bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Florida, the league has mandated 20% occupancy for the event.
    Football players have been infected in far greater numbers than recorded for the NBA Bubble.
    Problems for colleges have been more acute. Student athletes interacting with student populations consequently increases potential contact and increase opportunities for infection.
    Many games were postponed or cancelled. The Big Ten Conference initially cancelled all fall athletic events. In contrast SEC, ACC and the Big 12 postponed some games eventually playing some of them. Ohio State a Big Ten School flip flopped its closure starting its schedule. Ironically they had to cancel their game with Nebraska because of covid-19 problems and Wisconsin, another Big Ten Team, incurred an outbreak of infections forcing a cancellation with Nebraska. College basketball games have also experienced many cancellations. Unequal number of postponements and cancellations might seriously compromise play off eligibility and the ultimate national college championship games. At this writing Wisconsin might not be able to qualify for football championship because of limited play.
    The MLB reduced seasonal play and playoffs managing a successful World Series but not without some difficulty. The MLB featured reduced seating. While infections were not rampant starting players from various teams could not play or were on quarantine. Managers and coaches were challenged to identify starting pitchers and closers let alone allowing for unexpected player losses. Other professional sports (LPGA, PGA, NHL, FIFA men and women) were played with no fans or limited occupancy. While some of these athletes tested positive infection rates were small compared to football and basketball. Covid-19 definitely tested sports requiring some immediate adaptations. Mainly no fans or reduced fan occupancy.
    Public Transportation
    Americans like to travel. While air fare is popular, trains and busses also contribute to this activity. All these carriages have something in common. They provide a tight, enclosed environment with people shoulder to shoulder.
    With the onset of covid-19 lock downs for flights were initiated. With some remission in the number of infections air travel emerged but hundreds of flights were cancelled for the duration resulting in extensive furloughing of air support personnel. Presently mask wearing is mandatory for boarding and riding. In addition to wearing masks airlines have experienced with middle seat vacancy which is modest social distancing. Mask wearing may become the norm for an important industry. Cruise ships have also experienced significant cancellations. Presently they are developing a series of procedures to reduce infections facilitating healthy cruises.
    Education
    Millions of students represent a significant cultural need and activity. Massing students into small classrooms or large university lecture halls provides confined hosts for covid-19 or any other flu for that matter increasing frequency of spreading. States are now struggling to continue class without inducing increased infections.
    For younger students, preschoolers and kindergartners, their innocent, uninhibited energy can not be contained or controlled with pushing, shoving, wrestling and hugging which becomes a recipe for infections. Moreover, for older students aware of the seriousness of the pandemic, they resist mask wearing, don’t frequently wash their hands, ignore social distancing, and persist in activities with large crowds (Woodstock type, football field rushing, basketball court rushing). College students have been very cavalier about covid-19 and some apparently believe they are immune to the virus. The 1918 Flu Epidemic actually generated anti-mask societies in San Francisco. Attitudes of mask resistance haven’t changed at all as similar attitudes occur today.
    Accordingly teaching faces a demanding challenge to circumvent and ward off infections during the pandemic. How might teaching adapt to this plague which may be with us for some time?
    Virtual teaching has been around for some time. It was developed to provide day workers seeking certificates and degrees while at home. Virtual teaching did not anticipate a pandemic. Its development for earning degrees online was advanced considerably using streaming technology which has temporarily and necessarily coopted traditional teacher-student instruction.
    A virtual class room is a teaching and learning environment where participants (students and teachers) can interact, communicate, view and discuss presentations, and engage with learning resources while working on groups all in an online setting.
    While virtual teaching permits continuing education during a pandemic, it does have some shortcomings. The virtual environment does not provide students face to face interactions.
    Accordingly this deprives students opportunities for better communication and deeper understanding. Educators also have concerns pertaining to a student’s computer literacy skills and access to quality technology.
    In addition, to facilitate virtual teaching, regular parental support for their children’s efforts in the exercise is a necessary requisite. Online programs for motivated adult students have been very successful and productive. Teachers depend on adult supervision at home conscientiously monitoring children’s work habits. This requires additional attention and effort from working parents. Perhaps an even more basic shortcoming of virtual teaching is that a considerable number of students have no access to the internet.
    While virtual teaching permits teaching during the pandemic, teachers have repeatedly informed me that production from young students has been significantly reduced. Most people become teachers because they want to share their love and commitment to learning with the next generation. Virtual teaching circumvents this necessary feature of face to face interaction making it much more difficult to communicate their enthusiasm for this important cultural activity. Teachers conducting on site teaching and virtual teaching are experiencing exhaustion.
    In this pandemic Americans and other nations have been challenged with temporarily abandoning face to face instruction replacing it with a virtual approach. The latter has permitted continuing teaching although at a muted level. Teachers do not really support this approach with young students. Even students conducting research for advanced degrees rely heavily on regular interaction with their thesis advisors. With the production and availability of vaccines and reduced levels of infection teachers are looking forward to returning to their class rooms. Could virtual teaching seriously erode the role of teachers in face to face presentations? The Robots are coming! The Robots are coming! The ... coming!
    Medical
    Citizen (Ci) to medical professional (MP): “When will the covid-19 pandemic be over?”
    MP: “We don’t know. Infection rates can and do resurge. Super spreading events (large indoor and outdoor activities) are sources of surges. We’re even concerned about large family gatherings (holidays, birthdays, weddings, etc.) Infection rates may gradually decline to a low level.”
    Ci: “How does covid-19 compare to the annual flu virus?”
    MP: “Covid-19 is several times more lethal than annual flu which causes 30 to 50,000 deaths a year.
    Ci: “Hasn’t the flu vaccine helped fight this annual outbreak?”
    MP: “Yes it has. But it’s not foolproof. Annual flu virus in the U.S. is more complex than people think. There are at least two strains of influenza A and two for B. Some people definitely benefit from vaccination while others are not as responsive. Still the positive results from the flu vaccine makes it a worthwhile practice.”
    Ci: “How about acquired immunity to covid-19 after infection?”
    MP: “Immunity varies person to person (age, gender, race, prior health condition). Some may show no immunity. Some may acquire immunity for a few months. Still others may retain it significantly longer. Recent research suggests the potential for long periods. Moreover, the virus can mutate. The biochemical nature of the virus at the beginning of an epidemic may not be the one presently expressing itself.”
    Ci: “There’s an awful lot medical science doesn’t know yet.”
    MP: “You’re quite right. It keeps us committed. Still we can share somethings that we do know and strongly urge the public to practice. We know the public is experiencing covid-19 and mask wearing fatigue. There is no doubt that mask wearing has played an important role in reducing infections.”
    MP: “I have no constitutional right to infect you. You have no constitutional right to infect me. We have no constitutional right to infect others. We have a mutual responsibility.
    Consistently practice social distancing. Wear masks in appropriate areas. Yes! We can’t always understand someone speaking with a mask. Yes! The mask may restrict our breathing a bit. Yes! Our glasses can fog up. Yes! It’s a challenge to read or do close work with the bloody thing on. New designs are on the way reducing these problems.”
    MP: “But for those of us in the medical profession performing a variety of procedures, we know without masks we’d be introducing microdroplets of sputum with bacteria and viruses with every breath. It took the medical profession a long time to recognize this potential for spreading infection and so masks are SOP in our hospitals.”
    MP: “Mask wearing is mandatory now in hospitals for visitors and patients. Mandatory face masks may become the new norm even after recession of the pandemic. Insistence of disciplined practices are necessary in the wake of the pandemic.”
    Social
    For some European countries, welcoming relatives and friends with hugging and cheek kissing, is a pleasant and welcome part of their culture. This practice has been adopted in the U.S. to some extent replacing the time honored hand shake for greeting. Prior to the pandemic I commonly begged off on this new greeting claiming a cough or a cold. This may tell you more about me than you’d like to know, but I do know people thanked me for my presumed consideration. Is it possible even probable the 2020 pandemic may make public hugging and cheek kissing suspect to the point that a polite nod or elbow nudge becomes the accepted greeting norm? This may seem to be an extreme departure from the established social greeting behavior, but should we continue to ignore the effect of this almost biblical pandemic?
    Jonas Salk (1950s) developed the first successful vaccine against poliomyelitis. Hopefully modern virologists will emerge to do just the same for the covid-19 pandemic. The parents of my generation were greatly relieved when Salk’s vaccine dramatically reduced their fear to the dreaded threat of polio to the Nation’s youth.
    In this essay I did not comment on infection rates and related deaths caused by the pandemic. Also I excluded the effect of terrible job losses and financial recession omitting them for the special treatment they deserve.
    The pandemic has already changed our culture and will continue to do for some time.

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