articles about re-engineering society post COVID-19

Here is what I’ve been reading about how COVID-19 will forever alter the world in which we live.

To start, the Centers for Disease Control has mitigation resources for re-engineering communities, schools, workplaces, and events (“Guidance for Where You Live, Work, Learn, Pray, and Play”). It is worth visiting. They have guidance for many institutions, including:

• Universities
• Retirement communities
• Faith-based organizations
• First responders
• And more.

Related: Ed Yong explains how COVID-19 works in the Atlantic, which underlies many of the re-engineering requirements as we move forward. 

Re-engineering our facilities

1. How ten cities throughout the world adapted public transit in the wake of COVID-19
2. Possible improvements to airplanes to reduce virus transmission 
3. How one theater company is bucking the trend by not canceling plays and implementing a slew of precautions, including removing 70% of seats and having no intermissions. I hope the arts can adapt, because I would love to see a play and the symphony in the future.
4. Citylab: how the United States public transit can survive the coronavirus has
5. Why are meat processing facilities so vulnerable to COVID-19 outbreaks? “At least 9,400 positive cases have been tied to meatpacking plants across 28 states.” The work is labor intensive in crowded, poorly-ventilated environments where workers may encounter 1000 other workers per day. From the Post Crescent.

Re-engineering our processes

1. NPR: 9 ways K-12 schools will be different when the reopen, including staggered schedules, smaller classes, and new calendars.
2. In an op-ed, Drs. Sheldon Jacobson and Janet Jokela suggest ways big land-grant research universities could slowly and intentionally reopen while mitigating risks to faculty, staff and students/.
3. It will not be business as usual for universities in the coming academic year. The Chronicle has a list of college plans for the fall.
4. German barbers and hairdressers can reopen with new, strict requirements, including styling chairs at least 1.5 meters from each other; hair washing before a cut is required to help kill off possible viruses; no face to face services; and no magazines or free coffee in the waiting areas.
5. Runners World covers running during a pandemic.

Re-engineering our social groups

1. New York City requires wearing face masks in public. NYC is distributing face masks in public parks. And Deutsche Welle explains the face mask laws in Germany.
2. Slate’s parenting podcast “Mom and Dad are Fighting” discussed “quarantine pacts” where families can group together to manage care and work responsibilities as a method to manage risk in a time of quarantine living.
3. The Nation discusses many of the challenges for non-nuclear families introduced by social distancing and quarantines that also hints at what solutions should encompass.
4. Child care allows every other industry to work, but it’s not clear what child care during the pandemic will look like. Citylab has a roundup of coronavirus child care related issues. 
5. Workplaces need to adjust to new leave laws and family leave obligations and homeschooling realities. The New York Times reports on how mothers are managing homeschooling with work, and the Washington Post note that there are many lawsuits over family leave and discrimination. 

Related posts:

• articles about forecasting and COVID-19
• articles about supply chains and COVID-19
• COVID-19 is a pandemic that requires systems thinking and solutions
• Travel bans can’t stop this pandemic
• How to organize your Tupperware cabinet if you’re stuck at home during a pandemic
• Emergency response during mass casualty events