My husband injured his hip and needed medical help this week. With fear of COVID-19, he didn’t want to go to the doctor’s office and thankfully his doctor isn’t seeing patients in the office anyway. He learned from the receptionist that the appointment would be by teleconference to which my husband expressed anxiety. Being chronically “old school” in just about everything, he’s never used Skype or Zoom or any kind of social media platform. The receptionist asked if there was anyone in his home who could assist him with the set up when the time came? I spoke up and told him to respond by saying, “yes”. The appointment went off without a hitch. We have the internet, wifi, a blood pressure machine, a scale, and a thermometer. He reported his own vitals and symptoms to the doctor and after responding to a lot of questions, he secured both a diagnosis and a prescription. This whole incident got me thinking about what could lie ahead once we are on the other side of this pandemic.
We now understand that having access to a smart phone and laptop, high speed internet, and wifi are essential infrastructure items in the world today. This infrastructure allows students to continue with school, it allows many people to continue working, it allows online banking, it allows families and friends to connect anywhere in the world, and it allows patients to reach doctors remotely. Moving forward, we can use this infrastructure to save time and more importantly we can reduce our driving and gas emissions. I already do my banking online and most of my shopping with the exception of most groceries is also done online. But that, too, can easily change. With this rapid change in our physical distancing, it’s clear that our most pressing infrastructure needs have also changed.
In this world where disaster looms around every corner, Congress should invest in technological infrastructure that reaches across every corner of the country to increase both access and our overall bandwidth moving forward. We need these virtual roads and bridges as much as the physical roads and bridges that we collectively pay for with local and federal tax dollars. Every low income student and senior should be provided with a laptop and smartphone as an essential items. Access to the internet should be publicly paid for just as libraries and schools are. There are savings and efficiencies to be realized without reducing effectiveness if we maintain some of the services online that this pandemic has necessitated. Medicare would do well to provide low income seniors with thermometers, scales and blood pressure machines to help make this possible.
I envision a new normal once we get past this pandemic where conference rooms (not offices), restaurants, theaters, churches, parks, sports arenas, gyms, and concerts are social gathering places. Learning, office work, most doctor’s visits, banking and shopping can all be done at home and perhaps for fewer hours in the day, freeing up time for socializing and truly enjoying life. This pandemic has opened my eyes to this new possibility. And I like it. It would take some getting used to, but the savings on child care, on gas emissions, and on stressful commutes to work might be worth it.
During this pandemic I have been grateful that we have a home gym, computers, smartphones, an internet connection, password protected wifi, a pantry full of food, water, and toilet paper. What we don’t have is a personal generator to keep it all going in case of a blackout or other natural disaster. That’s on my new shopping list for this new unpredictable world we’re living in. Of course, my capable husband will research and purchase the most appropriate one for us on Amazon and it will be delivered right to our front door within two days.