Coronavirus Pandemic (2019-2020)

This page seeks to compile information about the possible near- and long-term implications for the current coronavirus pandemic. It includes information about the possible ways communities will respond to the pandemic and implications for specific areas of society. We will continue to update the page with additional information – and we welcome your contributions for how libraries and library professionals can plan for the possible futures that may unfold. 

Around the world, communities are experiencing a new reality as they respond to the coronavirus pandemic. Given how widespread the coronavirus pandemic is and how badly many countries are faring, the odds for fast worldwide synchronous control of the virus seem vanishingly small. [1] Paths toward control of the virus will include either the development of a vaccine or the attainment of “herd” or “population-level” immunity, where enough of the population has developed an immunity to the virus so as to limit outbreaks. Either scenario will require planning for more extended community responses as these paths are realized. A U.S. government COVID-19 response plan presented policymakers with a planning assumption that the pandemic could last 18 months or longer and could include multiple waves of illness. [2] 

Many experts believe that Spring 2021 would be the earliest that a vaccine might become available, with additional time required to produce and distribute the vaccine across communities. [3]  To provide enough time for a vaccine’s discovery and deployment, or the achievement of herd immunity, a growing community of experts anticipate an extended future where the new coronavirus is a regular part of life, where communities utilize an ebb and flow of social distancing practices to contain outbreaks when they occur and intersperse more regular patterns of life when the outbreaks subside. [4] A report from Imperial College London proposed such on-and-off social distancing measures as a viable path to managing the pandemic as researchers seek a vaccine or as communities achieve herd immunity. The report suggests that to keep ICU admissions within a reasonable level, social distancing and public closures may need to be in force some two-thirds of the time—roughly two months on and one month off—until a vaccine or herd immunity is achieved. [5] 

There could be paths forward where, in three to four months, portions of the population develop substantial immunity through mild infections and public health strategies shift to only isolate or quarantine contagious or more vulnerable people – a larger portion of the population returns to something resembling normal life, with different communities in some states and cities ending stay at home orders sooner or during different periods than people elsewhere in the country. [6] Another possibility could have the virus slow down during the summer, but with at least some social distancing measures remaining in place into the second half of the year – and even during a slowed summer period, communities will likely still limit large gatherings as a precaution. [7] The American Enterprise Institute's "National Coronavirus Response: A Road Map to Reopening" report outlines four key accomplishments that will allow states or regions to move from stay at home orders to reopening services - a sustained reduction in cases for at least 14 days; hospitals' capacity to safely treat all patients requiring hospitalization without resorting to crisis standards of care; the ability for testing of all people with COVID-19 symptoms; and the ability to conduct active monitoring of confirmed cases and their contacts. [8]

U.S. President Donald Trump's "Opening Up America Again" guidelines provide a three-phase plan that will ultimately be up to state governors to implement. The phases, each lasting a minimum of 14 days and incorporating continued practices of good personal hygiene, social distancing, testing, and contact tracing, would progress from a first phase where people should continue to work from home if possible, but where movie theaters, churches, and sports venues could reopen if they "operate under strict physical distancing protocols"; to a second phase where schools could reopen, nonessential travel could resume, and bars could operate "with diminished standing-room occupancy"; and finally a third phase where workplaces could fully resume their staffing and "public interactions" with physical distancing would be allowed. [9] 

In the space between our current situation and the time of a vaccine or herd immunity, many communities may adopt a strategy of "test and trace," using wider avaialability of testing to identify individuals with the virus and then "tracing" or identifying the recent interactions of sick individuals to determine who else from the community they might have infected. While traditional approaches to tracing relied on interviews with infected individuals resulting in lists of people and places to be notified and possibly monitored, there is current interest in using personal devices like cellphones and smartphones to leverage GPS tracking and Bluetooth exchanges to create records for a person's interaction with other individuals and places. [10] 

The ways that communities respond to the pandemic may have lasting implications for how society operated during and after the pandemic. 

Libraries and Technology

There will likely be a growing dependence on big technology companies as partners in government solutions and to support communities' new stay at home orders. The U.S. government quickly moved to enlist the support of Amazon, Cisco, Facebook, Google, IBM, Microsoft, and Twitter to help analyze data about infections and potential hot spots for virus transmission. [11] 

Technology-driven solutions to monitor the spread of the virus and to support social distancing and quarantine may threaten and further erode the value for privacy. China has deployed drones to monitor and police residents’ use of face masks. [12] European nations are using anonymized data from telecommunications companies to track people’s movements. [13] Russia is using its system of facial recognition cameras to monitor those who violate quarantine or self-isolation. [14] South Korea sends texts to the public identifying potentially infected individuals and sharing information about where they’ve been. [15] And one state in India has required quarantined people to download an app that requires them to take and send a photo of themselves that attached GPS coordinate metadata to help monitor movement. [16] 

The push for contact tracing could further embed big technology companies in many peoples' private lives. While testing and tracing has proven effective in containing outbreaks, the use of technology to support tracing would open individuals to having their movements tracked and logged so that health officials could obtain records of a person's cellphone activity and compare it to data emitted by other phone owners - technology tracing could also involve organizations and institutions in tracking and monitoring individuals' movements as they move through their spaces. [17] Even so, April 2020 Harris Polling found 71% of Americans said they are willing to share their own location data and receive alerts about possible exposure to the virus and 65% of respondents said they favored some kind of database that would show if their neighbors tested positive for the virus. [18] 

• How will library values for privacy and intellectual freedom fare in a world where big data and tracking technologies have become a more regular part of community and government responses to a public health threat? How would libraries help community members understand the levels of information being collected in different spaces and the necessity for institutions to report or share information with public health officials or other members of the public?

For individuals, the pandemic has increased dependence on technology for work, leisure, entertainment, socialization, and education. An April 2020 New York Times analysis of internet usage in the United States from SimilarWeb and Apptopia, two online data providers, showed an increased use of technology platforms and a shift in how those platforms are accessed, with more users accessing streaming entertainment and social media from websites on desktop computers as use of phone and mobile apps dropped off. [19] The pandemic has also spurred increased use of video chat and other services that support online meetings and community-based social media sites like Nextdoor, that help connect local neighborhoods. [20] 

With an increased dependence on technology, big technology companies could push back on supporters for public oversight of their growing influence, arguing that their services provided a public good in a desperate time. [21] An April 2020 Harris Poll of more than 2,000 Americans, found 38% reporting that their view of the technology industry has become more positive since the start of the pandemic and 40% believe the tech industry should provide solutions during the pandemic. [22] 

Libraries and Contactless Services, Drones, and Robots

The strain of stay at home orders and the push for contact-less service has accelerated interest in technologies like delivery robots, self-driving cars, and drones. In China, Neolix, a driverless delivery business based in Beijing, experienced increased demand as driverless technology became a viable tool for addressing reduced physical contact guidelines and labor shortages. [23] Starship Technologies and Kiwibot, makers of self-driving delivery robots, have seen demand for their robots increase as restaurants and grocery stores seek to expand delivery services. [24] In Florida and California, self-driving shuttles are being used to transport medical supplies across limited routes in controlled environments. [25]  Drone delivery has seen a boon in interest - Alphabet's drone division Wing, which operates in Christiansburg, Virginia, and parts of Finland and Australia, completed more than 1,000 deliveries in the first two weeks of stay at home order and UPS’ drone subsidiary, Flight Forward, announced a new partnership with the CVS pharmacy chain to deliver prescription medicines to one of the nation’s largest retirement communities. [26] At Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston Dynamics' Spot robot has been outfitted with a custom mount and enclosure for an iPad so that health care providers can triage and video conference with their patients. [27] And in Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh International Airport will add UVC fixtures to its floor-cleaning robots from Carnegie Robotics, making it the first airport in the U.S. to test the use of the ultraviolet rays to scrub the coronavirus from surfaces – the initiative shows how the burgeoning robotics sector in Pittsburgh works alongside the community to solve big-picture problems. [28]

The push for contactless service is emboldening more sectors to accelerate automation, even over concerns for job losses or consumer unease. The grocery industry is leaning on automation to free up employees to deal with increased demand and the retail industry is using robots to augment the work of employees, rather than replace them – but there are questions about how these sectors will return to normal after the pandemic is over and whether hiring patterns will change or decline. [29] 

Even as interest has grown, the realities of their uses in this pandemic shows that many of these technologies are not yet ready to fully tackle the scope of work for which they are needed. [30] Many of the technologies still struggle with the "last mile" of delivery, navigating the unexpected, and problem solving.   

• Will the current crisis lead libraries to invest in technologies like automated book sorters, robotic book retrieval systems, and other contact-less technologies? 

In addition to delivery, cleaning, and transportation, this period of social distancing may also accelerate the use of technologies for policing or monitoring human behavior. In Singapore,  National Parks Board (NParks) and Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG) announced a trial with Boston Dynamic’s Spot robot to patrol Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, reminding people of safe distancing measures. [31] And in Connecticut, Drone manufacturer Draganfly ​​​​​is working with the Westport (Connecticut) Police Department to test "pandemic drones" with the goal of monitoring social distancing efforts and detecting the virus' symptoms – the drones include specialized sensor and computer vision systems that can identify a person's temperature, heart and respiratory rates, sneezing or coughing in a crowd, and measure social distancing efforts. [32] While the projects don’t currently use facial recognition technologies, they still demonstrate the encroachment on privacy that this period could accelerate.  

Government

The urgency of the pandemic could consolidate more power for governments. In Israel and Hungary, leaders have effectively been given the power to rule by decree, without interference from courts or legislatures. [33] In the United Kingdom, some proposed responses to the coronavirus would provide police, public health, and immigration officers with the ability to detain people suspected of having COVID-19 and force them to be tested. [34] The U.S. Department of Justice filed requests with Congress for the ability to ask judges to detain people indefinitely without trial during emergencies, part of a push for new powers during the pandemic. [35] 

• As institutions that promote democracy and the freedom of ideas, how will libraries support conversations, discourses, and spaces that embody these principles?

The months and years after the current pandemic will likely find federal, state, and local governments engaging in concerted efforts to prepare for future pandemics. This will likely result in priority investments in research and development initiatives, expansion of public-health and health care infrastructure and workforce, and development of government units to execute strong preparedness plans. [36] 

• How will libraries align their efforts toward these new preparedness goals? How might library budgets be challenges when federal, state, and local governments see priority investments in other areas?

Positively or negatively, governments' responses to the crisis will inevitably involve private businesses. These public-private partnerships could become an increasingly accepted and, perhaps, effective tool for responding to crises. There may be a push for more effective policies and structures to guide these public-private partnerships, ensure transparency, and improve coordination and evaluation. [37] 

The push for social distancing could change many of the ways that residents engage with democratic institutions. Many local governments have had to quickly rethink open meeting policies for city councils, school boards, and other local governing bodies.

Many states are already looking ahead to the November general election, in light of concerns for reoccurring social distancing guidelines in the fall. Voting by mail has become a rallying point for those interested in promoting an equitable form of voting that support public health - and some are further advocating for an automatic registration process that would ensure every eligible citizen not only can cast their ballot safely but also obtain a ballot in the first place. [38] In the absence of measures to provide safer voting, civic groups and political parties will be challenged to register and canvass voters, unable to go door-to-door or set up shop outside supermarkets due to social distancing guidelines. [39]

• Depending on how state governments respond to voting processes for the general election, libraries could realize new priorities or opportunities. In states where ballots are mailed, libraries could see a lighter demand for use of spaces as polling places, but they might still need to plan for requests to support voter engagement efforts. In states where ballots are not mailed, libraries might need to carefully plan their participation as polling places, especially in light of concerns for workers' and the public's health.

Education

How schools, colleges, and universities re-open will vary. In-person services at these institutions will need to operate while still practicing some forms of social distancing, which could include reducing the number of students in a school on a given day, either by having students attend on alternate days or by adopting a half-day model in which half the students attend in the morning and half in the afternoon. [40]

Higher Education

Colleges and universities, with their dormitories, dining halls, and large groups of people, may be highly vulnerable to the secondary waves of contagion. [41] Beyond the best case "back to normal" scenario for fall semester, there could be scenarios that push the fall semester back (a late start in October or November or even a postponement to January and spring semester to summer); that prioritize on-campus experiences for select categories of students (freshmen and first year students or graduate students); that limit offerings or reduce the number of courses; that provide structure for students to learn off campus (a structured gap year with service projects); that introduce hybrid offerings accommodating both online and in-person learners or that have students in residence but learning online or that have students complete in-person intensives before returning to complete learning online; or that restructure courses into block intensives of three to four weeks or a modular model that has students take a core set of courses over five to seven weeks. [42]

The pandemic poses significant economic challenges to higher education. The transition to online education presents new expenses (for software, training, and outsourcing) at the same time that revenues will take a hit from reduced tuition, lost room and board fees, missed revenue from athletics and events, and reduced returns on endowments. [43] As colleges and universities transition to online or hybrid models, many students and families are raising questions about the cost of tuition – Princeton approved a 10% tuition discount for all students for the 2020-21 academic year, whether they’re on campus or taking classes online while Williams College, the richest U.S. liberal arts college with an endowment of $2.9 billion as of last June, offered a tuition cut of 15%. [44] For many states, the pandemic arrived after budgets had already been finalized based on revenue projections from early in the year – representatives from Moody’s Analytics note that, while many states appeared to be prepared for moderate or severe recession scenarios according to an October 2019 report, more than half of the states are unprepared for a more severe scenario in which many businesses remain closed through the fall. [45] In such scenarios, higher education funding may be among the first cuts legislators make. When cuts do come to higher education, they may come in the areas of most need for students during a pandemic - counseling, tutoring, mental-health support, food security, and student employment. [46]    

The pandemic and resulting economic fallout may change the purpose and reasoning behind student’s college and university enrollment. For regional colleges, which may be more dependent on tuition even as their mandates charge them with providing greater access to higher education, a growing number of prospective students may be reluctant to spend thousands for a virtual or limited college experiences – this smaller pool of applicants could lead to backsliding on goals to educate more non-white, low-income, and first-generation students. [47] For some students, the pandemic may encourage many to postpone enrollment in larger universities and instead seek out more affordable options at community colleges, which may also appeal to individuals most interested in improving their employment prospects with direct tracks into trades or professions. [48] The economic fallout from the pandemic could reintroduce trends from previous periods of economic crisis, including a push for a higher education system more in line with workforce needs – such a push could seek to realign traditional two- and four-year degrees to become more focused on micro-learning, competency-based learning, and credentials. [49] While this workforce responsiveness may benefit some members of the community, it represent an additional (and potentially problematic) burden on institutions that will already be grappling with their own challenges while creating expectations for credentialing and workforce readiness efforts that have proven difficult to scale in the past. [50]

Planning for the pandemic may likely exacerbate tensions between administrators and faculty and staff. The push for in-person classes raised the concerns of professors at Georgia Tech, leading some 800 faculty members to issue a statement to the Georgia Board of Regents noting that the institution’s plan “threatens the health, well-being and education of students, staff, and faculty.” [51]

K-12 and Early Childhood Education

Elementary and high schools might eliminate practices of students changing classrooms (avoiding busy hallways), institute lunches at students’ desks (avoiding cafeteria services), or eliminate physical education (avoiding excessive contact). [52] 

• As gathering places on campuses, how will libraries adapt policies and services to better serve students that practice more limited movement on campus? 

A longer-term change might be in how these institutions address the availability of online learning. Having transitioned content into online learning, many students and families may find that they prefer full or partial online schooling. [53] 

• Many libraries have adapted services to support online learners while campuses are closed. A future challenge might be in supporting more hybrid mixes with some online learners and some in-person learners. Additional demands - in a time of likely limited resources - could further stress library workers.

The likelihood of continued or intermittent virtual learning could have a particularly detrimental effect on children. A study from the Northwest Evaluation Association, a nonprofit organization that works with school districts to measure student performance, projects that students who lack steady instruction during the coronavirus school shutdown might retain only 70% of their annual reading gains compared with a normal year and could lose between half and all of their achievement growth in math. [54]

• For library summer reading and summer learning programs or for library programs supporting computational thinking, the effects of learning during the pandemic could create an increased demand and justification for these services - but libraries will have to adjust the ways that they offer these programs to support continued social distancing. 
• At the same time, some of the ways that schools will likely address these performance slides - testing, remedial learning programs, and expanded school calendars – could compete with and draw participation from summer learning and afterschool activities at libraries. [55] 

Libraries as Workplace

As workplaces reopen, there will likely be changes to the layout and flow of workers in their work spaces. Some workplaces may introduce screening and prevention systems including the distribution of masks, the use of thermal scanners, or contact tracing systems to help identify workers who have been exposed to the virus and minimize spread across the workforce. To help minimize staff contact, workplaces may create policies for staggered arrival times to minimize entrance and elevator crowding; removal of furniture and seating from conference rooms; limited occupancy in break rooms; floor markings around desks that delineate a six-foot radius; and signage to direct people in one-way traffic flows through hallways and other common areas. [56] Architecture firm Gensler developed a physical distancing tool that can quickly generate many scenarios and identify the most optimized plan for a variety of physical distancing conditions. Changes to workplace cleaning will likely include more frequent and visible cleaning during the day; greater availability of keyboard covers or desk mats; the removal or propping open of doors to minimize contact with handles; and "clean desk" policies to have employees remove personal effects so that all surfaces are cleaned more regularly. [57] 

Remote work, once a special benefit enjoyed by only a small portion of the workforce, will be greatly expanded as more workers utilize videoconferencing platforms and communication channels to handle work when not in the physical office. In the longer-term, more workers may split their jobs between the tasks that must be done in an office and those that can be performed remotely, leading to rotating or staggered occupancy of offices. [58] Twitter, which had already announced plans to adopt more distributed work policies for its employees, fast-tracked a new policy to allow almost all workers to work from home permanently, even after the coronavirus pandemic lockdown passes. [59] 

In the nearer-term, as organizations seek to reopen, employers will need to figure out the absolute smallest number of people needed for a workplace to function properly. [60] Many guidelines for returning to work and re-opening the economy continue to encourage telework whenever possible. [61] That distinction between the minimum number of workers necessary to re-open and those who can continue to telework will likely expose the schism between essential front-line workers and often higher-paid managerial or white collar workers.

• How will libraries accommodate library workers that wish to complete more of their work remotely? This could create issues of equity within the organization, team cohesion, communication, and other challenges to organizational culture.

Many workplaces will turn to more invasive surveillance of employees, ranging from activity and productivity trackers to monitor remote employees to public health interventions like infrared camera temperature checks and apps to track staff’s health conditions and possible virus exposures. [62]  

The pandemic will likely force a reevaluation of the precarity of lower-wage workers and drive more examples of worker activism. Workers at Amazon and Whole Foods and gig economy workers at Instacart have all staged protests seeking better pay, protection, and benefits given the increased importance of their roles in the pandemic response. Janitors, child-care workers, grocery store clerks, servers, and delivery workers may be able to demand higher pay and better working conditions having demonstrated their essential role through the pandemic. [63] As workplaces reopen, employers' efforts to protect workers, or their lack thereof, will be scrutinized - a survey from the Shift Project found that basic safety protections for workers were lacking, even at major companies, and that process for supporting workers had been slow. [64] 

• Libraries depend on front-line staff to provide valuable services to communities. The pandemic challenged many libraries to balance their commitment to the community with their commitment to the safety of staff and the patrons they serve. As libraries return to a world that could continue to have some public health risk, how will front-line staff be supported?

Libraries and Economic Development

More widespread adoption of remote work could drastically alter the distribution of high-paying jobs. Models like Oklahoma’s Tulsa Remote initiative, which incentivize remote workers to relocate to cities offering financial stipends and help forging community and civic connections, could become models for communities seeking to compete for a larger portion of remote workers. [65] At the farthest end, however, such models could also encourage more outsourcing or offshoring. [66] 

Many cities and communities will seek to diversify their economies, recognizing that an over-dependence on tourism or any one industry could prove a vulnerability under an extended period of stay-at-home and quarantine orders. Businesses may work with cities and governments to localize supply chains to reduce dependence on potentially fractured global supply systems. [67]

• Libraries' roles in workforce development, community cohesion, and as cultural assets could become increasingly important for governments interested in developing robust and diversified economies. 

Sustained social distancing practices could have the most detrimental effect on smaller, local retail stores and restaurants that have more limited access to capital, all leading to further consolidation as bigger and wealthier companies leverage their scale to provide alternate means of service delivery. [68] According to restaurant booking service OpenTable’s newest State of the Restaurant Industry research, as many as one in every four U.S. restaurants could go out of business due to the stay at home orders that have limited the food-service industry. [69] 

The stay at home experience has strengthened the position of large retailers that have proven to be impervious to the effects of the retail shutdown - when Americans are shopping, they are shopping at these more established retailers that have the inventory and scale to meet demands. [70] Sustained social distancing could accelerate the closing of brick and mortar locations for even more established national retailers, further widening the gap between the country’s most successful retailers (Amazon Walmart, Target, Costco) and the rest of retail. [71] 

• As unemployment and furloughs from the retail sector increase, libraries may need to help residents navigate a significantly contracted employment sector where only a few large retailers control the marketplace. While libraries already provide many services to support job seekers, this consolidation of retail and restaurants will likely displace managers and career retail and restaurant workers. 

Wide scale unemployment has led some companies to make their continuing education and workforce development content available for free to individuals in need. Google made its digital-literacy and career advancement focused Grow with Google courses available online and online education company Coursera announced a Coursera Workforce Recovery Initiative to provide state employment agencies with free access to the company’s 3,800-course catalog for unemployed workers. [72]  

• How can libraries leverage and support free resources for people experiencing unemployment alongside their own licensed resources and in-house programs and services?

The economic downturn could have a particularly chilling effect on people just entering the workforce. Much like those college graduates entering the workforce after the 2009 economic downturn, recent graduate will struggle to enter a drastically contracted workforce following the coronavirus pandemic. For even younger people, cities and local governments facing declining revenues may cut or cancel summer job programs that typically employ thousands of young people - and those that do continue will be drastically altered to support he limited kinds of work that are achievable under social distancing guidelines. [73] 

The Underserved and Marginalized

Sustained social distancing could prove damaging for vulnerable populations, including elderly people who depend on others for care, people in abusive relationships or households, and people with lower incomes who may be more susceptible to disruptions in work. People with anxiety or obsessive-compulsive disorders may struggle under sustained social distancing orders – and the sustained practice could make their re-entry into regular life more difficult. [74]

• In the same ways that libraries have moved their programming to focus on physical health and mobility, will there be an increased demand for programs that focus on mental health and emotional support?

Even as communities resume more regular practices, in the absence of a vaccine or herd immunity, there will likely be a sustained divide between the experiences of young people and older people, with those over 70 likely inhabiting a more enduring quarantine. [75]

• How will libraries shore up outreach and homebound services to a potentially larger population of older adults forced to stay at home? 

At the same time, the pandemic may force society and organizations to acknowledge that the systems that oppress populations are unjust and avoidable. Many local governments are pushing for leniency for evictions, ending water and utility shut offs, removing fees for late rent or mortgage payments, expanding access to healthcare, or granting wider access to internet and phone services. [76]

• Libraries may lean further into access to information as a means of personal and societal liberation. Libraries may also take this as an opportunity to further examine our own systems and policies that are unjust or impede individuals' use of library services.  

The pandemic has already and may continue to have a damaging effect on efforts toward equity, diversity, and inclusion. A Wikipedia page already documents examples from more than 35 countries of “xenophobia and racism related to the 2019-20 coronavirus pandemic.” [77]

Social distancing orders may erode community cohesion, leading people to navigate around each other, limiting opportunities for dialogue, and even discouraging eye contact. [78] 

The coronavirus crisis has focused appropriate attention on equities in access to healthcare. Many are taking this opportunity to promote telemedicine to provide easier access to healthcare regardless of geographic, financial, physical or child-care-related obstacles. [79]

• While telemedicine could improve access to healthcare, it is dependent on equitable access to high-speed connectivity for both health care providers and recipients, a reality that does not exist. If telemedicine becomes a widely promoted tool to address health care access inadequacies, will libraries be prepared to meet user demand for such services (connectivity, equipment, meeting rooms) and the resulting information and privacy implications attached to such transactions. 

Libraries as Space

Social distancing practices have already had a devastating effect on businesses and institutions that provide in-person services and sustained social distancing could further strain schools, child care centers, restaurants, nightclubs, gyms, theaters, art galleries, shopping malls, craft fairs, museums, performance spaces, sporting venues, and conferences. 

So much of people's lives and identities are tied to the opportunities they have to get together, especially in those third places between home and office. As communities begin to re-open, there have been mixed indicators for residents' interest in reconvening - there may be pent-up demand for opportunities to connect in-person (e.g. Disney Shanghai quickly sold out of a limited number of tickets for its reopening in April) even as many people hold to stricter personal commitments to limit public interactions. [80] Even as restaurants and other businesses reopen when stay-at-home orders are lifted, many state plans, including those of California Governor Gavin Newsom, advise that it won't be safe for people to congregate at large events like conferences and concerts until officials can determine that a significant portion of the population is immune to COVID-19 and a vaccine is available. [81]

• While the experiential elements of the library (story time, classes and workshops, programs and author visits) have long been popular with users, the in-person versions of these events may be among the very last elements to be reintroduced.

Many venues are adapting their physical spaces for their re-openings. Restaurants, theaters, and sporting venues might reduce and distance seating so that attendees can practice social distancing within a space at half capacity. [82] Plexiglass dividers and shields will become more popular to not only divide staff from visitors, but also to divide visitors from each other at workstations, service terminals, and other furnishings.

• With many libraries having introduced more comfortable and flexible seating in many of their spaces, there will now be the need to temporarily remove and store many furnishings; introduce more fixed furnishings; and invest in temporary safety furnishings like shields and guards. 

Many spaces, including restaurants, gyms, and galleries might require people to book their visits in advance and limit entry. [83] More and more spaces may begin using temperature scanners to monitor the health of people entering their spaces. [84]

• Creating barriers to entry will be a new reality for libraries. Libraries may need to develop policies specifying new limits on the number of occupants in the space and new processes for reserving space at specific times. Reservations or ticketing systems will require libraries to use online systems (e.g. Eventbrite) while still ensuring that individuals without access to computers have options to reserve time. More invasive screening procedures like temperature checks or medical questionnaires will require new policies; fair application of procedures across all visitors; and preparation and protection for staff should community members push back on these processes.

One of the most basic and universal features of re-opening spaces will be the introduction of face masks and coverings. Masks and face coverings, however, are still new to American culture and society. Many spaces will move from an "if you have one, wear one" policy for face coverings to more intentional efforts to provide employees and even guests with face coverings. [85] For those spaces that can, the provision of free masks will become a new normal. Amazon-owned Whole Foods said it would be asking all customers to wear masks in its stores and would begin offering free, disposable masks to all customers when they shop – Amazon anticipates spending more than $800 million in the first half of 2020 on COVID-19 safety measures by purchasing things like masks, thermometers, hand sanitizer, and gloves. [86] Even with the best preparation, availability, and guidance from local governments, the requirement of face masks may create contention within communities. In Oklahoma, a local requirement that customers wear masks inside restaurants and retail stores was rescinded after reports of store employees being threatened by customers who refused to wear masks. [87]

• Libraries will be challenged to source masks, budget for masks, and monitor their proper use, handling, and care. They will also need to plan responses for individuals who choose not to wear masks due to personal convictions or health-related reasons.

Retailers and restaurants may pivot to serve a “shut-in economy,” even from their existing brick and mortar locations – gyms offering online training sessions, retailers providing curated subscription boxes, and grocers offering personal shoppers and delivery. [88] Many grocery stores and retailers are speeding up investments in micro-fulfillment technologies like robotic warehouses and drone deliveries to keep up with demand for home deliveries. [89]

• Many libraries already offer homebound or delivery services. Will library pick-up or delivery services experience an increase in demand? Will libraries begin to invest more resources in subscription boxes or kits, smart locker pick-up, or other innovations in access and delivery?

An increased focus on hygiene will lead public spaces to invest in custodial staff, cleaning supplies and sanitizers, and more regular deep cleanings. [90] Some spaces and services may even prioritize cleaning and sanitation at the expense of availability. Airbnb introduced a new “enhanced cleaning initiative” that would create a 24-hour vacancy period between bookings – the new cleaning protocol is not required for property hosts, but guests will be able to see which hosts are participating in the cleaning initiative in search results on the platform. [91] And in New York City, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will suspend subway service for four hours every evening to disinfect trains – the system, known for providing 24-hour service, made the necessary change to protect transit workers who have been especially hard hit by the virus. [92]

• Will libraries be able to increase or re-prioritize budgets to support the level of cleaning and sanitizing that will be required of public spaces? Will libraries be able to access a regular supply of products and materials to accommodate this level of cleaning and sanitization? Will libraries need to re-examine policies relating to food and drink, restroom use and availability, or computer use? Will libraries create new operating schedules to allow for increased time between openings to support cleaning and sanitizing?     

One solution being explored by many restaurants and retailers, especially as warmer summer months create more ideal weather conditions, is the expansion of their services to the outdoors. As some cities have closed streets to car transportation to open space for pedestrians, a next step for some is to simplify the permitting process to allow more restaurants and stores to expand their services into adjacent streets and parking lots. [93]

• Could libraries make plans for expanded services or programs in their adjacent streets, green spaces, or parking lots? 

Entertainment and the Arts

Film and television studios and book publishers will push back release dates and promotion schedules, leading to a fuller schedule of releases in the summer, fall, and winter, but also potentially threatening a slowed pipeline of releases as they pause production during spring stay at home orders. 

• How will libraries prepare to promote front list titles and releases - and likely increased demand for these titles - even under potentially reduced budgets. How will library programming like author visits and lectures be affected by intermittent stay at home orders or limits on public gatherings? 

Expectations for the production value of entertainment may be transformed, as television broadcasts from news anchors’ and entertainers’ homes and musicians and performers stream performances directly from their studios. [94]

Similar shifts may happen in the arts, where opera companies, orchestras, and dance companies shift to online performances to expand access to audiences who may be unwilling or unable to attend performances in theaters. [95] Museums and galleries may offer more opportunities for virtual exploration and tours. 

• How will libraries continue to promote and provide access to a growing universe of on-demand or creator-generated information and content? 

Cities and Demographics

Given the outsized effect of the pandemic on urban centers like New York, there is growing concern about the future implications for urban environments. If the coronavirus continues to be a concern for immunocompromised individuals, there could be an exodus of elderly residents from cities. If white collar jobs in technology, banking, and marketing extend their work from home practices, there may be less demand for centralized headquarters in the more expensive real estate markets of urban centers. This could then result in reduced tax revenues, which could bring down rents and housing prices to make life more affordable for younger people, but would also bring about second-order effects on school quality and pension plans. [96] But there are also signs that this moment could advance positive urban trends around affordable housing, more sustainable construction and development, and regional and metropolitan collaboration in support of public transportation. [97] For both large- and mid-sized urban environments, recurring stay at home orders could cause residents to have an increased dependence on neighborhood systems of shops and amenities that are more accessible and require less movement and exposure. [98] 

Journalism and News

The news industry will likely see a decline in advertising revenue as the economic downturn limits spending, threatening national and local news coverage, which has proven incredibly important during the pandemic. While many national news outlets have lowered their paywalls for potions of their coronavirus coverage, it is unclear how long publishers will stay committed to this model, especially as advertising and other revenues experience decline. [99] The pandemic may force newspapers to explore alternate models like nonprofit journalism or membership programs that offer access to exclusive digital events or content. [100]

• Libraries may become even more important players in the news and journalism ecosystem. Many libraries already promote local journalism or play direct roles in producing local news and those functions may become even more important in a down turned economy where public health information is critically important. 

Travel and Transportation

Travel may require adding temperature checks and health screenings to the security measures already in place or else some form of registry that tracks a person’s exposure to the virus. [101] 

Governments may need to provide significant financial support to buses, subways, and trains to keep the systems solvent during intermittent social distancing and to retro-fit entry points and seating arrangements to reduce social contact and prevent infection. [102] If intermittent social distancing makes public transit less desirable, some cities may choose to invest in street designs that accommodate bike lanes, wider pedestrian walkways, and greater use of shared mobility services, all of which could limit the space for private cars. [103] 

• For the elderly, young people, or people without cars, buses and other forms of public transportation are key to their navigation of communities and community services like libraries. If public health concerns limit peoples' use of public transportation, will libraries experience a decrease in gate counts?

Misinformation, Verifiable Information, and Expertise

The wave of news and response to COVID-19 has advanced opportunities for the disinformation of misinformation. As early as January, hundreds of titles related to coronavirus and COVID-19 were made available online, many of which were written under false or misleading names and trafficked in dark conspiracy theories regarding the origin of the virus. [104] In an effort to limit misinformation spread through apps, Apple made the decision to reject apps from organizations that weren’t recognized institutions like governments or hospitals and Google blocked all searches for coronavirus from its Google Play store. [105] By March, all of the major social media companies and their parent corporations issued a joint statement on their efforts to limit the potential for misinformation on their platforms, stating “We are working closely together on COVID-19 response efforts. We’re helping millions of people stay connected while also jointly combating fraud and misinformation about the virus, elevating authoritative content on our platforms, and sharing critical updates in coordination with government healthcare agencies around the world. We invite other companies to join us as we work to keep our communities healthy and safe.” [106] Social media platforms’ efforts to promote good information have included Google’s COVID-19 search hub, Facebook’s coronavirus information center, and  Twitter's use of its blue-check badging system to help surface and signal more authoritative and verified voices that can provide “credible updates” on the topic of the coronavirus. [107] Proactive efforts to limit the spread of misinformation have included Facebook’s plan to place anti-misinformation messages in the News Feeds of people who have engaged with fake coronavirus stories; Twitter’s updated approach to mark misinformation as misleading,” “disputed,” or “unverified”; YouTube’s integration of fact-checking panels that integrate information from third-party publishers, including The Dispatch, FactCheck.org, PolitiFact, and The Washington Post Fact Checker; and WhatsApp’s decision to limit the forwarding of viral messages. [108] Google has announced plans to donate $6.5 million to fighting misinformation online, supporting fact-checkers and other nonprofits fighting misinformation with a primary focus on responding to the coronavirus crisis. [109] In spite of their best efforts, misinformation continues to spread on many of these platforms, raising concerns for health officials and indicating the continued presence of misinformation as the pandemic approaches critical steps like re-openings and the discovery of a vaccine. [110]  

Even as misinformation spreads, the pandemic could bring about a renewed acceptance of expertise, beginning with a growing recognition of science and medical information and the professionals that understand and research those topics. [111] 

Similarly, the pandemic could provide greater trust in and appreciation for government services and a recognition that those services need to be staffed with qualified experts who receive adequate compensation. [112]

Libraries and Health and Wellness

Extended stay at home orders will accelerate the adoption of telemedicine and refocus attention on mental health.

In March, FCC chairman Ajit Pai announced plans for a $200 million COVID-19 Telehealth Program, funded by Congress as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, to help health care providers offer connected care services to patients at their homes or mobile locations – the program would fully fund telecommunications services, information services, and devices necessary to provide critical connected care services until the program’s funds have been expended or the COVID-19 pandemic has ended. [113] Technology providers Google and Facebook have taken advantage of the moment to promote their own smart speakers and cameras as tools for expanding medical access. In the United Kingdom, the National Health Service (NHS) announced a partnership with Facebook to place 2,000 of the company’s Portal video calling displays in hospitals, care homes, and other facilities to let residents communicate with family members, on-site employees, and healthcare providers offering services remotely. [114] In a similar partnership, Google will work with Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City to develop a system that uses Nest cameras to help monitor coronavirus patients – more than 100 hospital rooms will be fitted with two Nest cameras to be used to communicate with patients and monitor vitals and live-stream directly to a console at the Mount Sinai nurse station in an effort to help healthcare workers save time and personal protective equipment. [115] 

• As telehealth becomes a more accepted practice, will libraries be called up to provide services to support access to telehealth, including internet access, devices, private rooms, and other requirements.
• Will increased access to telehealth lead to improved health literacy among the public or only increase the need for health literacy guidance from library staff? 

Fear and anxiety about exposure to the virus and the effects of extended social isolation could lead to increased interest in mental health, meditation, and calming apps. Results from an April 2020 Household Pulse Survey from the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics and Census Bureau suggested that as many as a third of Americans were showing signs of clinical anxiety or depression based on their responses to questions normally used to screen patients for mental health problems. [116] Meditation apps like Headspace ​​​and Sanvello ​​​​​and teletherapy platforms like Talkspace all experienced increased use and interest in the early weeks of stay at home orders. [117] The growing need for emotional and mental support may lead to changes in access to and public acknowledgement of the importance of these services. Starbucks announced an expansion of its mental health benefits to provide employees with access to 20 therapy sessions a year. [118] Headspace announced an initiative to make its premium service available for free to people experiencing unemployment in the U.S. [119] And Google announced a partnership with the National Alliance on Mental Illness to provide access to more mental health resources, including a clinically validated anxiety self-assessment, when users in the U.S. search for information about anxiety. [120] 

• In the same ways that libraries have made strides to support physical health, nutrition, and movement, will libraries focus programming on mental health support, especially during periods of stay at home orders. 

Notes 

[1] "How the Pandemic Will End." Ed Young. The Atlantic. March 30, 2020. Available from https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/03/how-will-coronavirus-...
[2] "U.S. Virus Plan Anticipates 18-Month Pandemic and Widespread Shortages." Peter Baker and Eileen Sullivan. The New York Times. March 17, 2020. Available from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/us/politics/trump-coronavirus-plan.html
[3] "The Four Possible Timelines for Life Returning to Normal." Joe Pinsker. The Atlantic. March 26, 2020. Available from https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2020/03/coronavirus-social-di...
[4] "How the Pandemic Will End." Ed Young. The Atlantic. March 30, 2020. Available from https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/03/how-will-coronavirus-...
[5] "We’re not going back to normal." Gideon Litchfield. MIT Technology Review. March 17, 2020. Available from https://www.technologyreview.com/s/615370/coronavirus-pandemic-social-di...
and
"Get Used to It: This Lockdown Won’t Be the Last." Timothy McLaughlin. The Atlantic. March 28, 2020. Available from https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2020/03/lockdowns-hong...
[6] "The Four Possible Timelines for Life Returning to Normal." Joe Pinsker. The Atlantic. March 26, 2020. Available from https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2020/03/coronavirus-social-di...
[7] "The Four Possible Timelines for Life Returning to Normal." Joe Pinsker. The Atlantic. March 26, 2020. Available from https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2020/03/coronavirus-social-di...
[8] "National Coronavirus Response: A Road Map to Reopening." Scott Gottlieb, MD, Caitlin Rivers, PhD, MPH, Mark B. McClellan, MD, PhD, Lauren Silvis, JD, and Crystal Watson, DrPh, MPH. American Enterprise Institute. March 28, 2020. Available from https://www.aei.org/research-products/report/national-coronavirus-respon...
[9] "Here's How Trump Says The US Should Reopen When Coronavirus Cases Go Down." Salvador Hernandez. BuzzFeed News. April 16, 2002. Available from https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/salvadorhernandez/trump-reopen-whit...
and
"Coronavirus: Trump unveils plan to reopen states in phases." BBC News. April 17, 2020. Available from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52314866
[10] "The Technology That Could Free America From Quarantine." Derek Thompson. The Atlantic. April 7, 2020. Available from https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/04/contact-tracing-could-...
[11] "White House asks Silicon Valley for help to combat coronavirus, track its spread and stop misinformation." Tony Rom. The Washington Post. March 11, 2020. Available from https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/03/11/white-house-tech-me...
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[13] "Coronavirus Lockdowns Trigger Privacy-Disrupting Location Tracking." Sarah Coble. InfoSecurity. March 19, 2020. Available from https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/coronavirus-triggers-location/
[14] "How Russia is using authoritarian tech to curb coronavirus." Mary Ilyushina. CNN. March 29, 2020. Available from https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/29/europe/russia-coronavirus-authoritarian-t...
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[16] "This Indian State Wants People In Coronavirus Quarantine To Send Them Selfies Every Hour." Pranav Dixit. BuzzFeedNews. March 30, 2020. Available from https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/pranavdixit/karnataka-coronavirus-q...
[17] "The Technology That Could Free America From Quarantine." Derek Thompson. The Atlantic. April 7, 2020. Available from https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/04/contact-tracing-could-...
[18] "Big Tech’s reputation is rising as governments tap the industry in coronavirus response." Monica Nickelsburg. GeekWire. April 23, 2020. Available from https://www.geekwire.com/2020/big-techs-reputation-rising-governments-ta...   
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[21] "We Can’t Allow Big Tech to Exploit Coronavirus" JS Tan. Tribune. April 11, 2020. Available from https://tribunemag.co.uk/2020/04/we-cant-allow-big-tech-to-exploit-coron... 
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[23] "They won’t catch the virus so Chinese robovan maker’s sales jump." Bloomberg. March 8, 2020. Available from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-08/they-won-t-catch-the-...
[24] "Starship Technologies is sending its autonomous robots to more cities as demand for contactless delivery rises." Kirsten Korosec. TechCrunch. April 9, 2020. Available from https://techcrunch.com/2020/04/09/starship-technologies-is-sending-its-a...
and
"The pandemic is bringing us closer to our robot takeout future." Timothy B. Lee. ArsTechnica. April 24, 2020. Available from https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/04/the-pandemic-is-bringing-us-...
[25] "Autonomous Shuttles Find Work in Fight Against Coronavirus." Skip Descant. GovernmentTechnology. April 7, 2020. Available from https://www.govtech.com/fs/automation/Autonomous-Shuttles-Find-Work-in-F...
and
"Delivery robots move medical supplies to help with COVID-19 response." Timothy B. Lee. ArsTechnica. April 22, 2020. Available from https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/04/delivery-robots-move-medical...
[26] "Alphabet's drone service has completed more than 1,000 deliveries during the past two weeks of the coronavirus crisis. One top product: toilet paper." Hugh Langley. Business Insider. April 8, 2020. Available from https://www.businessinsider.com/demand-for-wings-drone-deliveries-surgin...
and 
"CVS and UPS team up for drone deliveries to retirees amid coronavirus outbreak." Alan Boyle. GeekWire. April 27, 2020. Available from https://www.geekwire.com/2020/cvs-ups-team-drone-deliveries-retirees-ami...
[27] "Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot is helping hospitals remotely treat coronavirus patients." Nick Statt. The Verge. April 23, 2020. Available from https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/23/21231855/boston-dynamics-spot-robot-c...
[28] "Airport to use autonomous robots to blast floors with UVC light." Sasha Lekach. Mashable. May 5, 2020. Available from https://mashable.com/article/pittsburgh-airport-uvc-robots/
[29] "Robots Welcome to Take Over, as Pandemic Accelerates Automation." Michael Corkery and David Gelles. The New York Times. April 10, 2020. Available from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/10/business/coronavirus-workplace-automa... 
[30] "If Robots Steal So Many Jobs, Why Aren't They Saving Us Now?" Matt Simon. Wired. March 23, 2020. Available from https://www.wired.com/story/robot-jobs-coronavirus/
and
"Delivery Robots Aren't Ready—When They Could Be Needed Most." Aarian Marshall. Wired. April 28, 2020. Available from https://www.wired.com/story/delivery-robots-arent-ready-when-needed-most/ 
[31] "Robot reminds visitors of safe distancing measures in Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park." Cheryl Tan. The Straits Times. May 8, 2020. Available from https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/robot-reminds-visitors-about-safe...
[32] "'Pandemic drone' test flights are monitoring social distancing." Alison DeNisco Rayome. CNET. April 22, 2020. Available from https://www.cnet.com/news/pandemic-drone-test-flights-will-monitor-socia...
[33] "‘We can’t go back to normal’: how will coronavirus change the world?" Peter C Baker. The Guardian. March 31, 2020. Available from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/31/how-will-the-world-emerge-...
[34] "Police and health officials to get powers to detain under UK coronavirus bill." Kate Proctor, Peter Walker, and Rajeev Syal. The Guardian. March 19, 2020. Available from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/19/coronavirus-suspects-may-b...
[35] "DOJ seeks new emergency powers amid coronavirus pandemic." Betsy Woodruff Swan. Politico. March 21, 2020. Available from https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/21/doj-coronavirus-emergency-power... 
[36] "National Coronavirus Response: A Road Map to Reopening." Scott Gottlieb, MD, Caitlin Rivers, PhD, MPH, Mark B. McClellan, MD, PhD, Lauren Silvis, JD, and Crystal Watson, DrPh, MPH. American Enterprise Institute. March 28, 2020. Available from https://www.aei.org/research-products/report/national-coronavirus-respon...
[37] "Time for a new national office on private-public partnerships." Tom Freedman. The Washington Post. April 22, 2020. In "We need smart solutions to mitigate the coronavirus’s impact. Here are 30." Available from https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/20/coronavirus-is-upendi...
[38] "End voter registration." Ellen Kurz. The Washington Post. April 2, 2020. In "We need smart solutions to mitigate the coronavirus’s impact. Here are 30." Available from https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/20/coronavirus-is-upendi...
[39] "End voter registration." Ellen Kurz. The Washington Post. April 2, 2020. In "We need smart solutions to mitigate the coronavirus’s impact. Here are 30." Available from https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/20/coronavirus-is-upendi...
[40] "What Will It Take For Schools To Reopen?" Frederick Hess. Forbes. April 1, 2020. Available from https://www.forbes.com/sites/frederickhess/2020/04/01/what-will-it-take-...
[41] "How our cities can reopen after the COVID-19 pandemic." Richard Florida and Steven Pedigo. Brookings. March 24, 2020. Available from https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2020/03/24/how-our-cities-can-...
[42] "15 Fall Scenarios." Edward J. Maloney and Joshua Kim. Inside Higher Ed. April 22, 2020. Available from https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/blogs/learning-innovatio...
and
"6 Ways College Might Look Different In The Fall." Elissa Nadworny. Mind/Shift KQED. May 6, 2020. Available from https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/55868/6-ways-college-might-look-different... 
and 
"Colleges Plan to Reopen Campuses, but for Just Some Students at a Time." Anemona Hartocollis. The New York Times. July 6, 2020. Available from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/06/us/coronavirus-universities-colleges-... 
and  
"Harvard and Princeton Say Some Students Can Return This Year" Janet Lorin. Bloomberg. July 6, 2020. Available from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-06/harvard-plans-to-brin... 
and
"Univ. of Washington will move 80% of classes online this fall amid looming threats from COVID and ICE." Monica Nickelsburg. GeekWire. July 8, 2020. Available from https://www.geekwire.com/2020/univ-washington-will-move-80-classes-onlin... 
[43] "Can Colleges Survive Coronavirus? 'The Math Is Not Pretty'" Elissa Nadworny. NPR. April 20, 2020. Available from https://www.npr.org/2020/04/20/833254570/college-brace-for-financial-tro... 
[44] "Harvard and Princeton Say Some Students Can Return This Year" Janet Lorin. Bloomberg. July 6, 2020. Available from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-06/harvard-plans-to-brin... 
[45] "The Next Financial Blow." Kerry Murakami. Inside Higher Ed. April 13, 2020. Available from https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/04/13/public-colleges-face-loom... 
[46] "What If Colleges Don’t Reopen Until 2021?" Adam Harris. The Atlantic. April 24, 2020. Available from https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/04/will-colleges-be-op...   
[47] "Enrollment at regional colleges drops, leading to cuts." Katherine Long. The Seattle Times. June 25, 2020. Available from https://www.seattletimes.com/education-lab/enrollment-at-regional-colleg...
[48] "Coronavirus could change where students go to college, if they go at all." Chris Quintana. USA Today. April 14, 2020. Available from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2020/04/14/coronavirus-col... 
[49] "When The Pandemic Is Over, Will US Higher Education Be Ready To Get People Back To Work?" Spencer Platt. Forbes. April 12, 2020. Available from https://www.forbes.com/sites/paulleblanc/2020/04/12/when-the-pandemic-is...  
[50] "When The Pandemic Is Over, Will US Higher Education Be Ready To Get People Back To Work?" Spencer Platt. Forbes. April 12, 2020. Available from https://www.forbes.com/sites/paulleblanc/2020/04/12/when-the-pandemic-is...
[51] "Georgia Tech Professors Revolt Over Reopening, Say Current Plan Threatens Lives Of Students, Staff." Wayne Drash. Georgia Public Broadcasting. July 4, 2020. Available from https://www.gpbnews.org/post/georgia-tech-professors-revolt-over-reopeni... 
[52] "What Will It Take For Schools To Reopen?" Frederick Hess. Forbes. April 1, 2020. Available from https://www.forbes.com/sites/frederickhess/2020/04/01/what-will-it-take-...
[53] "Coronavirus Will Change the World Permanently. Here’s How." Politico. March 19, 2020. Available from https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/03/19/coronavirus-effect-eco...
[54] "50 Million Kids Can’t Attend School. What Happens to Them?" The Editorial Board. The New York Times. April 16, 2020. Available from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/16/opinion/coronavirus-schools-closed.html 
[55] "50 Million Kids Can’t Attend School. What Happens to Them?" The Editorial Board. The New York Times. April 16, 2020. Available from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/16/opinion/coronavirus-schools-closed.html
[56] "The post-pandemic workplace will hardly look like the one we left behind" Jena McGregor. The Washington Post. April 23, 2020. Available from https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/04/23/offices-after-coronav...
[57] "The post-pandemic workplace will hardly look like the one we left behind" Jena McGregor. The Washington Post. April 23, 2020. Available from https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/04/23/offices-after-coronav...
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[59] "Twitter Will Allow Employees To Work At Home Forever." Alex Kantrowitz. BuzzFeedNews. May 12, 2020. Available from https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/alexkantrowitz/twitter-will-allow-e...
[60] "You’re Not Going Back to Normal Office Life for a Long, Long Time." Maxwell Strachan. Vice. April 22, 2020. Available from https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/5dm7pk/youre-not-going-back-to-normal...
[61] "You’re Not Going Back to Normal Office Life for a Long, Long Time." Maxwell Strachan. Vice. April 22, 2020. Available from https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/5dm7pk/youre-not-going-back-to-normal...
[62] "The Workplace-Surveillance Technology Boom." Natalie Chyi. Slate. May 12, 2020. Available from https://slate.com/technology/2020/05/workplace-surveillance-apps-coronav...
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[64] "Jeans before masks, cookies before sneeze guards: Corporate America is failing workers during the pandemic." Emily Stewart. Vox. May 15, 2020. Available from https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2020/5/15/21259153/essential-workers-hazar... 
[65] "How our cities can reopen after the COVID-19 pandemic." Richard Florida and Steven Pedigo. Brookings. March 24, 2020. Available from https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2020/03/24/how-our-cities-can-...
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[67] "Coronavirus Will Change the World Permanently. Here’s How." Politico. March 19, 2020. Available from https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/03/19/coronavirus-effect-eco...
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[69] "One-Quarter of American Restaurants Won’t Reopen, OpenTable Says." Edward Ludlow. Bloomberg. May 14, 2020. Available from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-14/one-quarter-of-americ...
[70] "Survival of the biggest: Coronavirus transforms retail." Erica Pandley. Axios. April 12, 2020. Available from https://www.axios.com/coronavirus-retail-survival-biggest-57470685-8e6a-...
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[72] "Google brings its Grow with Google classes online." Monica Chin. The Verge. May 12, 2020. Available from https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/12/21255798/google-grow-with-onair-class...
and
"Coursera Makes Online Catalog Free for Unemployed Workers." Alyse Stanley. Gizmodo. April 24, 2020. Available from https://gizmodo.com/coursera-makes-online-catalog-free-for-unemployed-wo...
[73] "Without Summer Jobs, Cities Seek Alternatives for Youth." Alan Greenblatt. Governing. May 5, 2020. Available from https://www.governing.com/now/Without-Summer-Jobs-Cities-Seek-Alternativ...
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[75] "The Road to Semi-Normal." Ross Douthat. The New York Times. April 4, 2020. Available from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/04/opinion/sunday/coronavirus-covid-19.html
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[78] "Fight the pandemic of silence. Say hello." Kimberlyn Maravet Baig-Ward. The Washington Post. April 30, 2020. In "We need smart solutions to mitigate the coronavirus’s impact. Here are 30." Available from https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/20/coronavirus-is-upendi...
[79] "Make sure all Americans have access to telehealth." Lucy McBride and Reed Hundt. The Washington Post. April 16, 2020. In "We need smart solutions to mitigate the coronavirus’s impact. Here are 30." Available from https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/20/coronavirus-is-upendi...
[80] "Coronavirus Shut Down the ‘Experience Economy.’ Can It Come Back?" David Gelles. The New York Times. May 20, 2020. Available from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/20/business/public-gathering-events-coro...
[81] "Here’s What Life Will Probably Look Like In California After The Coronavirus Stay-At-Home Order Ends." Stephanie K. Baer. BuzzFeedNews. April 14, 2020. Available from https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/skbaer/coronavirus-california-life-...
[82] "We’re not going back to normal." Gideon Litchfield. MIT Technology Review. March 17, 2020. Available from https://www.technologyreview.com/s/615370/coronavirus-pandemic-social-di...
and
"The Road to Semi-Normal." Ross Douthat. The New York Times. April 4, 2020. Available from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/04/opinion/sunday/coronavirus-covid-19.html
[83] "We’re not going back to normal." Gideon Litchfield. MIT Technology Review. March 17, 2020. Available from https://www.technologyreview.com/s/615370/coronavirus-pandemic-social-di...
[84] "We’re not going back to normal." Gideon Litchfield. MIT Technology Review. March 17, 2020. Available from https://www.technologyreview.com/s/615370/coronavirus-pandemic-social-di...
[85] "For Restaurants, Masks Could Be the New Normal." Brenna Houck. Eater. April 17, 2020. Available from https://www.eater.com/2020/4/17/21222810/restaurants-wearing-masks-new-n...
[86] "Whole Foods will provide free, disposable masks to customers." Abrar Al-Heeti. CNET> April 30, 2020. Available from https://www.cnet.com/health/whole-foods-will-provide-free-disposable-mas...
[87] "A City in Oklahoma Ends Face Mask Requirement After Store Employees Were Threatened." Daniel Politi. Slate. May 3, 2020. Available from https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/05/stillwater-oklahoma-ends-fac...
[88] "We’re not going back to normal." Gideon Litchfield. MIT Technology Review. March 17, 2020. Available from https://www.technologyreview.com/s/615370/coronavirus-pandemic-social-di...
[89] "The new coronavirus economy: A gigantic experiment reshaping how we work and live." Craig Timberg, Drew Harwell, Laura Reiley and Abha Bhattarai. The Washington Post. March 21, 2020. Available from https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/03/21/economy-change-lifest...
[90] "National Coronavirus Response: A Road Map to Reopening." Scott Gottlieb, MD, Caitlin Rivers, PhD, MPH, Mark B. McClellan, MD, PhD, Lauren Silvis, JD, and Crystal Watson, DrPh, MPH. American Enterprise Institute. March 28, 2020. Available from https://www.aei.org/research-products/report/national-coronavirus-respon...
[91] "Airbnb’s new cleaning protocols include 24-hour vacancies between bookings." Kim Lyons. The Verge. April 27, 2020. Available from https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/27/21238142/airbnb-cleaning-protocols-24...
[92] "NYC will halt subway service overnight to disinfect trains." Andrew J. Hawkins. The Verge. April 30, 2020. Available from https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/30/21242887/nyc-mta-cuomo-subway-shutdow...
[93] "As Cities Reopen, Outdoor Dining May Provide a Lifeline." Aarian Marshall. Wired. May 7, 2020. Available from https://www.wired.com/story/cities-reopen-outdoor-dining-lifeline/
[94] "After The Coronavirus Passes, Your World Will Not Go Back To Normal." Ryan Broderick. BuzzFeedNews. April 2, 2020. Available from https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanhatesthis/after-coronavirus-it-...
[95] "The new coronavirus economy: A gigantic experiment reshaping how we work and live." Craig Timberg, Drew Harwell, Laura Reiley and Abha Bhattarai. The Washington Post. March 21, 2020. Available from https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/03/21/economy-change-lifest...
[96] "A Vision of Post-Pandemic New York." Tyler Cowen. Bloomberg. March 31, 2020. Available from https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-03-31/post-pandemic-new-...
[97] "The Post-Pandemic Urban Future Is Already Here." Ian Klaus. CityLab. April 6, 2020. Available from https://www.citylab.com/design/2020/04/coronavirus-urban-planning-cities...
[98] "A Vision of Post-Pandemic New York." Tyler Cowen. Bloomberg. March 31, 2020. Available from https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-03-31/post-pandemic-new-...
[99] "The Fate of the News in the Age of the Coronavirus." Michael Luo. The New Yorker. March 29, 2020. Available from https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-communications/the-fate-of-the-...
and
"Include local media in the stimulus package." Suzanne Nossel and Viktorya Vilk. The Washington Post. March 23, 2020. In "We need smart solutions to mitigate the coronavirus’s impact. Here are 30." Available from https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/03/20/coronavirus-is-upendi...
[100] "The Fate of the News in the Age of the Coronavirus." Michael Luo. The New Yorker. March 29, 2020. Available from https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-communications/the-fate-of-the-...
[101] "We’re not going back to normal." Gideon Litchfield. MIT Technology Review. March 17, 2020. Available from https://www.technologyreview.com/s/615370/coronavirus-pandemic-social-di...
and 
"How our cities can reopen after the COVID-19 pandemic." Richard Florida and Steven Pedigo. Brookings. March 24, 2020. Available from https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2020/03/24/how-our-cities-can-...
[102] "How our cities can reopen after the COVID-19 pandemic." Richard Florida and Steven Pedigo. Brookings. March 24, 2020. Available from https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2020/03/24/how-our-cities-can-...
[103] “How our cities can reopen after the COVID-19 pandemic." Richard Florida and Steven Pedigo. Brookings. March 24, 2020. Available from https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2020/03/24/how-our-cities-can-...
[104] "Sketchy Coronavirus Survival Guides Are Booming on Amazon." Jane Roberts. Slate. March 9, 2020. Available from https://slate.com/culture/2020/03/coronavirus-books-amazon-survival-guid...
[105] "Apple is rejecting coronavirus apps that aren’t from health organizations, app makers say." Kid Leswig. CNBC. March 5, 2020. Available from https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/05/apple-rejects-coronavirus-apps-that-aren...
[106] "Facebook, Reddit, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Twitter and YouTube issue joint statement on misinformation." Catherine Shu and Jonathan Shieber. TechCrunch. March 16, 2020. Available from https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/16/facebook-reddit-google-linkedin-micros...
[107] "Google's coronavirus search hub makes COVID-19 info easier to find" Mariella Moon. Engadget. March 212, 2020. Available from https://www.engadget.com/2020-03-21-google-coronavirus-search-hub.html
and
"Facebook built a new center to direct people to accurate coronavirus information." Queenie Wong. CNET. March 18, 2020. Available from https://www.cnet.com/news/facebook-built-a-new-center-to-direct-people-t...
and
"Twitter prioritizes blue-check verifications to confirm experts on COVID-19 and the novel coronavirus." Ingrid Lunden. TechCrunch. March 21, 2020. Available from https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/21/twitter-prioritizes-blue-check-verific...
[108] "Facebook will add anti-misinformation posts to your News Feed if you liked fake coronavirus news." Add Robertson. The Verge. April 16, 2020. Available from https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/16/21223456/facebook-coronavirus-misinfo...
and
"Twitter now labels misleading coronavirus tweets with a misleading label." Rebecca Heilweil. ReCode. May 11, 2020. Available from https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/5/11/21254889/twitter-coronavirus-covid-...
and
"As COVID-19 misinformation grows, YouTube brings video fact-checking to the US." Brian Heater. TechCrunch. April 28, 2020. Available from https://techcrunch.com/2020/04/28/as-covid-19-misinformation-grows-youtu...
and 
"WhatsApp puts new limits on the forwarding of viral messages." Casey Newton. The Verge. April 7, 2020. Available from https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/7/21211371/whatsapp-message-forwarding-l...
[109] "Google pledges $6.5 million to fight misinformation online." David Priest. CNET. April 2, 2020. Available from https://www.cnet.com/news/google-pledges-6-5-million-to-fight-misinforma...
[110] "W.H.O. Fights a Pandemic Besides Coronavirus: An ‘Infodemic’" Matt Richtel. The New York Times. February 6, 2020. Available from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/06/health/coronavirus-misinformation-soc...
and
"Surge of Virus Misinformation Stumps Facebook and Twitter." Sheera Frenkel, Davey Alba and Raymond Zhong. The New York Times. March 8, 2020. Available from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/08/technology/coronavirus-misinformation...
and "Get Ready for a Vaccine Information War." Kevin Roose. The New York Times. May 13, 2020. Available from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/13/technology/coronavirus-vaccine-disinf...
[111] "Coronavirus Will Change the World Permanently. Here’s How." Politico. March 19, 2020. Available from https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/03/19/coronavirus-effect-eco...
[112] "Coronavirus Will Change the World Permanently. Here’s How." Politico. March 19, 2020. Available from https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/03/19/coronavirus-effect-eco...
[113] "FCC outlines $200 million COVID-19 telehealth plan." Christine Fisher. Engadget. March 30, 2020. Available from https://www.engadget.com/2020-03-30-fcc-covid-19-telehealth-funding-life...
[114] "Facebook is promising UK health facilities 2,000 Portal devices." Add Robertson. The Verge. April 10, 2020. Available from https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/10/21216229/facebook-uk-nhsx-portal-vide...
[115] "Google's Nest cameras will help monitor coronavirus patients at Mount Sinai Hospital." Alexandra Garrett. CNET. May 11, 2020. Available from https://www.cnet.com/news/googles-nest-cameras-help-monitor-coronavirus-...
[116] "A third of Americans now show signs of clinical anxiety or depression, Census Bureau finds amid coronavirus pandemic." Alyssa Fowers and William Wan. The Washington Post. May 26, 2020. Available from https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/05/26/americans-with-depressi...
[117] "The coronavirus pandemic is a game changer for mental health care." Tanya Basu. MIT Technology Review. March 20, 2020. Available from https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/03/20/905184/coronavirus-online-th...
[118] "U.S. Starbucks employees can now get up to 20 free therapy sessions." Stephanie Mehta. Fast Company. March 16, 2020. Available from https://www.fastcompany.com/90476917/starbucks-employees-in-the-u-s-can-...
[119] "Headspace is now free for people who are unemployed in the US." Ashely Carman. The Verge. May 14, 2020. Available from https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/14/21258616/headspace-unemployment-medit...
[120] "Google adds anxiety self-assessment to search." Alexandra Garrett. May 28, 2020. Available from https://www.cnet.com/health/google-adds-anxiety-self-assessment-to-search/