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Covid-19 could permanently shift working patterns as companies forced to embrace remote working by the pandemic find that their employees do not want to return to the office once the closures are lifted

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Covid-19 could cause permanent shift towards home working

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Tech firms will benefit, but some companies could find employees don’t want to return to the office

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Long before schools were closed, employees ordered to work from home and the internet strained under the weight of Netflix binge-watching, connected technology was changing the modern world.

How fast those changes came depended on which part of our society was being disrupted. For those who worked in now-decimated shopping malls, it came all too quickly. But those hoping that all the resources of prestigious universities such as Rice would be available with the click of a mouse were disappointed.

Now, by avoiding a virus for which humanity has no natural immunity, these changes are accelerating. The internet has become a critical factor in coping with the coronavirus pandemic. And when this is over - whenever that might be - we will come out of this changed, more reliant that ever on being connected.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Internet providers have temporarily lifted data caps. Let's make it permanent

Just over a century ago, a much less connected world underwent similar pandemic and also emerged from it changed. The Spanish flu of 1918 infected 500 million people, killed 50 million and confined people to their homes,

It had a profound effect on medicine, and particularly the study and treatment of viruses, which were known, but not well understood. At the time, most scientists believed the flu was caused by bacteria, said Laura F. Spinney, the author of "Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed The World."

"When Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin," she said, " he did it because he was trying to grow what he thought was the bacteria that caused the Spanish flu."

The devastation of the flu gave rise to socialized medicine systems in Europe, as well as the insurance-based system in the United States, Spinney said. There also was a backlash against science, she added, which was perceived to have failed, inspiring a back-to-nature movement that still exists today.

The coronavirus pandemic is already considered the story of this generation, and it will have lasting impact. Many of those changes involve connected technology. I'm going to focus on three areas - work, education and entertainment - that I think will be changed significantly by the pandemic.

Working

Walk into any Houston office building and chances are its floors are not the busy, bustling workplaces they were before mid-March, when businesses got serious about COVID-19 and sent employees home. On March 24, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Mayor Sylvester Turner issued an order for residents to stay at home.

That's why, on any given day, there's a line outside the Houston MicroCenter store as people upgrade computers and add second monitors to their home-office setups.

Houston's businesses have moved into apartments, townhouses, high-rises and suburban McMansions. Many of their workers are learning new tools and new ways of getting their jobs done. Dining tables are being retrofitted as workspaces, stacks of boxes and books take the place of standing desks.

While no firm statistics are available on how many people are now working from home, internet traffic suggests it's a lot. Comcast said last week that peak traffic on its network is shifting to earlier in the day, and upload traffic - in which people send rather than receive data, an indicator of work - is up 27 percent.

Although working from home has been a way of life for some knowledge workers since the first modem was plugged into a phone line, a new wave of employees is finding it a better way to work. And control-freak managers and tradition-bound executives are learning it's not the productivity apolocalypse they feared.

VIRTUAL WORDPRESS: Matt Mullenweg's distributed company is everywhere

"People are going to reexamine the defaults and the things they took for granted before this happened," said Matt Mullenweg, the founder of Automattic, the company behind the blogging platform WordPress. Mullenweg wrote the first version of WordPress in Houston while a student at the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.

Mullenweg has become one of the premier advocates for distributed work, in which employees are allowed to work wherever they are. His company has never had a physical headquarters, though employees get together once a year.

As someone who believes every company should try distributed work, you'd think Mullenweg might be delighted with more employee working at home. But no.

In a post on his Unlucky in Cards blog, Mullenweg wrote: "This is not how I envisioned the distributed work revolution taking hold.

"These are abnormal times, people are struggling to work from home, and it's not the normal situation. There are kids at home, and there are child care issues. We are worried about our loved ones. Even when you work from home, the best practice is to get out and socialize. This is the opposite of that."

That said, Mullenweg believes this is a turning point for distributed work. Once workers get a taste of it and managers see that, yes, work-from-home employees are often more productive, it will be come the newer normal.

"I don't think it will ever go back to the way it was," Mullenweg said.

Education

When Rice University suspended classes in early March after a staff member tested positive for the coronavirus, three for-credit courses were available online. When Rice's classes restarted on March 23, 1,906 online courses were offered, said Klara Jelinkova, the university's chief information officer.

Setting all this up - including training 487 professors, many of whom had never taught online before - was "simultaneously exhilirating and scary," Jelinkova said.

Online education has been around for a while, and some universities are built entirely on it. But many colleges - and particularly K-12 schools - have not embraced it.

At the Houston Independent School District, online learning just started last week, with many teachers trying to master online teaching tools and then providing tech support to parents and students unfamiliar with the technology.

Howard Rheingold, a Silicon Valley fixture who has championed online education since the pre-internet days of computer bulletin boards and discussion forums, sees the emergency shift to distance education as an opportunity to rethink the teaching process.

CONNECTED LEARNING: How one school district is moving its classes online

"As many are discovering, it is not about mastering the technology, it's about, 'How do you teach?'" said Rheingold, who at one point offered a series of courses in online culture and literacy through his Rheingold U. "You have to teach both in the classroom and online."

Distance learning is not "the end of the university," he said, but it will become more integrated into learning. He gave YouTube as an example, where almost any skill can be picked up by watching videos.

"Fourteen-year-olds knows how to learn online," Rheingold said. "They use YouTube to learn how to play a ukelele, hook up a satellite dish, configure a web server. It is a free or inexpensive way to teach."

Rice's Jelinkova said the internet is good at teaching skills, but distance learning doesn't offer the complete experience found on a college campus.

"If universities were only in the business of delivering education, that would be one thing," she said. "We are in the business of helping people grow, and to be employed. That takes all the social aspects of college. It's hard to do that just online."

But she says coronavirus crisis will change Rice and other schools.

"We will put more classes online," she said. "It will be different."

Entertainment

In mid-March, as audiences avoided movie theaters and cities began closing them, NBCUniversal announced it would do the previously unthinkable - send first-run films directly to streaming services. "The Hunt," "Emma" and "The Invisible Man", which had spent a little time in theaters, were moved to pay-to-view platforms such as Amazon Prime and Apple's iTunes.

The price to watch: $20, less than the cost of two theater tickets in larger markets.

One highly anticipated title was set to debut on those services. "Trolls World Tour" will be available starting April 10. It will also screen in a few theaters that remain open.

In the world of motion picture distribution, this is known as "breaking the theatrical window," the time that movies are shown only in theaters before moving to rental and streaming. Prior to the pandemic, the window already had cracks, inflicted primarily by Netflix, which showed critically acclaimed films such as 2018's "Roma" and last year's "The Irishman" only briefly in theaters before streaming them.

With the advent of large-screen, high-definition TVs and streaming services in ultra-high resolution formats, people were already eschewing theaters for their own couches.

Release Notes: Get Dwight Silverman's weekly tech newsletter in your inbox

Social distancing has accelerated that trend. The spate of stay-at-home orders inspired Americans to sign up for streaming services in record numbers, according to Antenna, a streaming analytics research firm. Sign-ups for Disney Plus tripled in one week in March; HBO's nearly doubled.

It's not just movies and TV. The coronavirus has closed concert venues, clubs and bars, robbing musicians of places to perform. Many have taken to online performances.

Kam Franklin, the singer for Houston's Gulf Coast soul band The Suffers, said the band canceled a tour and work on a new album. The group gathered in her living room one Saturday evening in mid-March and performed via Facebook Live, directing fans to PayPal and Venmo accounts to "tip" the band.

The band earned as much as it would playing a moderately sized club, Franklin said. As social distancing became a bigger issue, and band members were unable to maintain six-foot-buffers in her living room, Franklin launched a series of solo performances from her bedroom on Saturday nights.

She says the band now plans to make online shows a regular part of its routine.

"I defnitely see it as a viable form of income for us," she said. "It will definitely change our business, if we are capable of doing this consistently."

Traditionally, entertainment involved a location with other people. That will resume once the pandemic subsides, but it will never return to way it was, says Jeff Bock, senior media analyst for Exhibitor Relations, a company that tracks the movie theater industry. People are apt to be cautious about interacting with others, and connected technology will make it so they don't have to.

"The whole business model of movie theaters is packing people in and seating them a foot apart from each other," Bock said. "Are people going to want to go back to doing that? I don't think so."

dwight.silverman@chron.com

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houstonchronicle.com/techburger

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The 'abnormal times' of coronavirus are changing us. Can we ever go back?

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Long before schools were closed, employees ordered to work from home and the internet strained under the weight of Netflix binge-watching, connected technology was changing the modern world. How fast those changes came depended on which part of our society was being disrupted. For those who worked in now-decimated shopping malls, it came all too quickly.

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It could take three years for the US economy to recover from COVID-19

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How will public health measures and policy interventions affect COVID-19's economic impact? A resurgence in the virus could see a longer recovery period.

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COVID-19 Coronavirus is a new virus, and the experts are still learning how exactly is spreads. So far, a couple of ways of transmission have been determined. The virus is mainly transmitted from person to person, especially if a person is in close contact with the infected person (within 6 feet). If an infected person coughs or sneezes, another person can get infected through respiratory droplets. The virus can also remain on some surfaces, which is why people must avoid touching their faces as the virus can also be transmitted from touching surfaces. But with summer coming and with countries like India being in lockdown because of COVID-19, many are starting to wonder whether air conditioning can spread COVID-19.

Difference Between Home And Central Air Conditioning

Generally speaking, the poor quality of indoor air can help in the spread of all diseases and other pollutants. According to The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), most people spend around 90% of their lives indoors. The pollution of indoor air is among the most significant environmental hazards in the U.S. But when it comes to COVID-19, experts are still researching and weighing their opinions. So far, they have concluded that the spread of COVID-19 through systems of air conditioning depends on the type that is used. According to experts, people using their home air conditioning are not at risk of infection, especially if they are remaining at home having no contact with the rest of the population. But when it comes to central air conditioning, situations may vary.

Which Places Use Central Air Conditioning?

Central air conditioning is usually installed at larger commercial spaces like shopping malls and at more modern apartments. This type of air conditioning is not a risk for spreading COVID-19 because of its technical properties but because it is usually used at places with a lot of people. Researchers have studied the air conditioning system on the cruise Diamond Princess which had almost half of passengers infected with COVID-19. They found out the particles of the virus on various surfaces around the ship. According to this research, the virus partially spread through the air conditioning system as it was not able to filter out the virus particles. Still, this does not mean that it was the air conditioning system fault for the spread. Simply, an infection was already existing among people on board, and the air conditioning helped in the spread as passengers remained on the ship, using the same air conditioning system.

So, What To Do Then?

Firstly, you should avoid places with larger crowds of people. This is already a recommended measure of social distancing. With warmer climate and central air conditioning being at function, places like shopping malls may pose a certain risk of infection. Still, it should be noted that the risk is not as large as it seems, and more studies will have to be conducted. The virus cannot be suspended in the air for a long time, so there is not that much chance that it will enter the air conditioning system. Also, ventilation systems of all commercial places are currently working extra to enhance air quality. Experts note that in your homes, air conditioning does not pose a risk of infection as long as there is no one infected with the virus inside. Still, it is recommended to enable the outdoor air to enter the room from time to time by opening the window or increasing the outdoor airflow rate with window air conditioning systems.

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Can Air Conditioning Spread COVID-19 Coronavirus?

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COVID-19 Coronavirus is a new virus, and the experts are still learning how exactly is spreads. So far, a couple of ways of transmission have been determined. The virus is mainly transmitted from person to person, especially if a person is in close contact with the infected person (within 6 feet).

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There's little good that can be said about a global pandemic.

The coronavirus outbreak has resulted in the untimely death of tens of thousands worldwide, a global economic recession and the collapse of health-care systems among many of the hardest-hit countries.

But there may be a silver lining for Mother Earth. Amid the destruction, the pandemic has brought forth wins for sustainable industries, clean energy and a world that leaves room for humans and animals to coexist happily.

So as lockdown despair creeps in, take heart in the potential environmental benefits of the spread of COVID-19.

Decreased air pollution

Manufacturers are shutting down factories in the interest of social distancing, and that's giving the planet room to breathe.

By early March, the coronavirus had taken hold of China's Hubei province. Meanwhile, energy experts were already seeing a change in China's air quality. China's carbon emissions were 25% lower in February compared to the same time last year, Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst at the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air in Helsinki told the AP.

That reduction is equivalent to more than half the annual emissions of the UK alone, according to the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air. China's level of nitrogen dioxide, a greenhouse gas that can cause respiratory problems and cancer, was down 42%, according to government monitoring stations.

Normally, air pollution causes about 4.6 million premature deaths annually worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.

But evidence is showing that our atmosphere might just be a little healthier during this time. Satellite images released by the European Space Agency (ESA) have shown a dramatic reduction in atmospheric nitrous oxide.

And following global social-distancing measure, Madrid, Spain, saw nitrous oxide levels fall by 56% in March, while cities including Paris and Milan as well as Brussels, Belgium, and Frankfurt, Germany, have experienced similar drops.

Animals have more room to roam

As humans take to the indoors indefinitely, animals have begun to encroach on urban areas. In Nara, Japan, the sudden cessation of tourism has prompted herds of deer, who used to feed on food scraps left by people in public parks, to wander farther into the streets in search of a quick bite.

In New Delhi, India, and Lopburi, Thailand, packs of wayward monkeys are loitering at storefronts and invading closed shops. In Oakland, California, wild turkeys were seen playing tag in a schoolyard as children are taking lessons from home.

And, in the Welsh town of Llandudno, a herd of wild mountain goats had their fun while villagers watched from their windows.

Plus, who knew a vacant zoo could be so arousing? After more than a decade of trying to coax pandas Ying Ying and Le Le to mate, the pair, located at a Hong Kong zoo in Ocean Park, have finally consummated their relationship - possibly thanks to a lack of ogling voyeurs.

"It gives us some hope when Hong Kong is clouded with so much negative news," said Chinese lawmaker Yiu Si-wing.

China banning wildlife trade

Many experts have placed blame for the coronavirus outbreak, as well as some previous viral epidemics, on the notorious exotic animal trade, which includes the sale of bats, dogs, cats and more.

The historically under-regulated and unsanitary industry, with a stronghold in some Asian countries, has furthermore been detrimental to populations of rhinoceros, elephants, crocodiles, tigers, turtles and pangolins.

Under global pressure to reign in this black market, lawmakers in both China and Vietnam have decided to place a ban on the consumption of wild animals.

"Once the pandemic is controlled and the 'tourniquet' can be released, I see the world paying attention to the original cause," Deborah Calmeyer, who runs ROAR Africa, says.

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3 ways the coronavirus is helping the environment

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There's little good that can be said about a global pandemic. The coronavirus outbreak has resulted in the untimely death of tens of thousands worldwide, a global economic recession and the collapse of health-care systems among many of the hardest-hit countries. But there may be a silver lining for Mother Earth.

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The U.S. surpassed Italy in number of confirmed deaths on April 11

There are now at least 1,376,700 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States, the most worldwide

At least 82,355 people in the U.S. have died from coronavirus-related illness

The U.S. has the most cases and deaths in the world, with over 1 million cases as of April 28

Worldwide, there are now 4,292,139 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 293,241 deaths

Italy officially surpassed China in number of deaths related to the virus on March 19, but on April 11, the U.S. became the country with the most deaths

At first, this coronavirus was contained to China, but Wuhan is a major transportation hub with hundreds of flights leaving and landing from the city of 11 million each day. Soon, as people flew from the area to different countries, the coronavirus reached more countries, including the United States.

As of the morning of May 13, there have been at least 1,376,700 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the U.S., and 82,355 deaths related to the virus, according to The New York Times. The U.S. now has the highest number of cases worldwide by a large margin, though the true numbers are likely far higher because sufficient testing has not been available.

The first case was found in Everett, Washington, just outside of Seattle, in a man who had recently returned from Wuhan. The number of cases grew slowly from there, with a total of just 14 over the course of about a month, but as February came to an end, the virus began to spread more rapidly in communities across the U.S.

On Feb. 26, California health officials announced the first case of community spread - meaning someone had contracted coronavirus despite no recent travel, and had likely unknowingly come in contact with someone with the disease. From there, the number of U.S. cases jumped up, particularly in densely-populated areas like New York and Michigan.
RELATED VIDEO: Global Efforts Against the Spread of the Coronavirus Continue to Take Place
By the end of March, the number of cases and deaths in the U.S. exploded. On March 26, the number of deaths in the U.S. topped 1,000. By March 31, that number had tripled.

On April 28, the number of cases in the U.S. surpassed 1 million.

President Donald Trump says that the White House's coronavirus task force's current model projects that up to 100,000 Americans could die from the COVID-19 outbreak.

Worldwide, there are now at least 4,292,139 cases of coronavirus, and 293,241 deaths. The vast majority of cases and deaths had been confined to mainland China until the last three weeks, when major outbreaks occurred in South Korea, Italy and Iran. On March 19, Italy surpassed China in the number of deaths.

On April 2, the worldwide number of confirmed cases topped 1 million. It hit 2 million on April 15.

"It's not so much of a question of if this will happen in this country anymore but a question of when this will happen," Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC, said in a press briefing on Feb. 25.

On March 11, President Donald Trump announced a ban on travel from the U.S. to Europe for 30 days to "keep new cases from entering our shores." The CDC had already recommended that Americans cancel any non-essential travel to China, Iran, Italy and South Korea, and urged older Americans to avoid going to Japan. Additionally, they restricted foreign nationals from China and Iran from entering the U.S.

The U.S., Canada and Mexico also mutually agreed to close the shared borders to non-essential travel.

Though China, Italy and several other nations with high case totals have enforced full lockdowns on citizens, Trump has declined to do so in the U.S. Instead, many states, counties and cities have chosen to implement "stay at home" orders, limiting residents with non-essential jobs from leaving their homes, except for groceries and other vital tasks.
As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments. PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMe to raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, click here.

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U.S. Has Over 1.3 Million Coronavirus Cases, Deaths Top 82K: Here's an Updated Map of the Spread

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The U.S. surpassed Italy in number of confirmed deaths on April 11 There are now at least 1,376,700 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States, the most worldwide At least 82,355 people in the U.S. have died from coronavirus-related illness The U.S.

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People will continue to test boundaries for social distancing

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Tik Tok and Instagram and other remote learning tools will rise in use

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small businesses will be tested during this time of social distancing

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Sea Lions roaming free in the streets of Argentina, Monkeys and China and Mother Earth gets the reset it's been longing for

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The president claims that voting by mail leads to election fraud.