Thinking ahead- how this crisis will change America

[SonomaPatientsCoop]

There are surely LOTS of ways...

It seems likely this will further push Americans into the reality of online shopping...and especially may normalize some of the aspects that have struggled- grocery delivery, takeout delivery, pet food delivery, etc...

The internet. Providers- from DSL to Cable to Cellular have largely lifted the data caps (yes- your "unlimited" data plan is often limited and exceeding it results in slow downs). They've long argued that this was needed to prevent congestion. But, so far- the system seems to be mainly holding up in most areas - even with a massive increase of people working and schooling from home, not to mention increased video streaming. The ISP's excuses may not hold up after this...

Movie theaters... they were already struggling. Will people go back.

Restaurants... many had already seen declines in in house dining. This may be forever changed except for high end restaurants.

Work. For some industries this will be a true test of the "work from home" concept- and may drastically change many industries. This could also reshape many of our urban areas... what if the majority of the tech industry actually doesn't have to be in the Bay Area (or Seattle, NYC, etc) every day? What if they can live somewhere cheaper and where they would rather live? This could radically alter the modern paradigm...

Many, many other things I have not touched on. And many things no one has really thought about yet as a forced curtailment of our daily reality may make people re-evaluate what is important in the work and personal lives...and how they will continue once this is past.