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Ten Weeks of COVID-19 changes equals ten years of social evolution.
I do not know who originally came up with the idea — that ten weeks of living with COVID-19 equated to ten years of social evolution. I’ve found myself thinking about this a lot, trying to puzzle it out.
Overall, I agree with the sentiment. I do believe that part of the shock that we’re all feeling is that the sorts of social changes we’re seeing generally occur gradually. Instead of a progression that feels natural and that happens over the course of a decade, things are changing overnight.
For example, it was overnight (literally, in many stores) that all cashiers and other workers were suddenly behind sheets of plastic. I believe those barriers are here to stay, to protect those people from us and the things we might unknowingly carry.
Masks have certainly become a thing. Just this week, Costco decided to require all customers to wear a mask. More stores will follow suit.
Locally, we have stores that merely request all customers wear masks. They aren’t turning people away, but they have big signs out front asking their customers to be careful.
And woe be to anyone who goes in without one. They get stared at. Glared at. The social shaming is palpable.
