Description

In this Brown Bag Lunch, we will discuss the impact of the pandemic on us personally and on society as a whole.

Looking Back
It has been a trying 15 months – and counting – since the pandemic scare rapidly shut things down. Everyone has been affected in some ways.

Here are questions to consider:
• Have you or loved ones had to deal with serious COVID-19 illness?
• What adjustments have you had to make in your daily life?
• What issues may have weighed you down?
– Being “couped up” for so long
– Putting an abrupt stop to being with family and friends, enjoying restaurants and fun events, traveling to wonderful places around the world
– Feeling that you have lost more than one year of enjoying your life in retirement – opportunities gone forever!

Looking Ahead
With a significant and expanding percentage of our population having been vaccinated, it appears that the end of the nightmare is in sight. Some in our age group remain cautious, while others are more adventurous and resuming their lives.

Here are questions to discuss:
• What changes are you seeing in your daily life now that you have been vaccinated?
• How do you expect your life will change in the next few months? Over the summer? By the fall? By next winter?
• What kinds of risks are you willing to take to return to a “normal” life?

Societal Impact
While the pandemic has affected each of us in our personal lives, the enormity of the pandemic will likely have a lasting, of not permanent, effect on society.

Here are issues to ponder:
• Has the pandemic brought the country closer together or farther apart?
• How has the pandemic affected the public’s view of the role and trust of government in our lives?
• What lasting changes do you see as a result of the pandemic?
– Working in the office versus working from home
– The impact on commutation
– The impact on the need for commercial office space
– How the effectiveness of Zoom and other video services will impact business travel and the need for in-person meetings
– The impact on restaurants
– Industry “winners” and “losers”
– Other significant changes

Please join us on May 20 and share your experiences and thoughts with us.

Participants must register by NOON on May 19th to receive details on joining the discussion. The Zoom link will be sent out by 6:00pm on May 19th.