Permanent changes to work, school and travel possible after the COVID-19 lockdown

federal plans offer advice for how schools businesses and places of worship can safely reopen with local governments deciding when that will actually happen and specifically what it looks like one idea out there requiring people to carry proof of immunity documents a nationally known epidemiologist telling the i-team tonight he thinks we need to pivot from trying to protect everyone to focusing on the most vulnerable I think we have an opportunity to put this behind us once and for all and that's all predicated on appreciating that this is not an equal opportunity threat the latest numbers from Illinois show more than two-thirds of the 2662 deaths are people seventy years and older deaths under the age of 30 make up about half a percentage point dr.

David Katz is a public health specialist who has been consulting government leaders in the u.

s.

he suggests testing a randomized group of 20, 000 people nationwide right now instead of the state-by-state testing model those people who can least afford to get this virus are carefully protected from it so they don't get it we save lives and we avoid overwhelming the medical system we have a path to the all-clear young healthy people get exposed get over this make antibodies or immune I'm not gonna shift away from protecting everybody you know everything is evolving whatever reopening plan ends up being implemented here scientists interviewed by the i-team say we will have to continue making sacrifices to keep as many people as possible healthy things are gonna probably look very different for us as a society after this there may be temperature screaming in a lot of points and again masks might be a big part of this some say airline travel will take the biggest hit you can't have a crisis this big without having some permanent changes according to TSA records passenger travel is down 94 percent compared to this time last year in the airlines are gonna have to try to get all their money from fewer passengers that's probably going to mean higher air fares in our future expect to see more body temperature detection systems such as this one in an airport in Washington State the technology alert security of a passenger with a fever we can identify people when they're sick even before they know it schools are grappling with how to resume classes in the fall looking at classrooms and trying to figure out how you can space people out tell me how you can do maybe alternating days or bigger venues business travel and conferences may never be back to pre kovat levels there's a realization that there's a lot that can be achieved from working at home and working remotely sociologists say some pandemic practices will become part of our regular behavior I think we will have much more present this idea of Hygiene and communication and how we interact not everyone is ok with the new rules for socializing standing six feet from somebody is something that you almost have to concentrate to do so like that might be a little awkward even if the majority of people cope with it pretty well you have to think about who's not gonna cope with it well one of the things that I'm most concerned with particularly for african-american communities are the effects that the pandemic is going to have on mental health living involves risk we take those risks all the time we want to minimize the risk and that's what I've been advocate for when I talk about total harm minimization I'm saying we need to look at what what is the what is the actual magnitude of risk from the virus give it its full respect and do the right things to minimize that doctors tell the i-team they hope at least one positive new habit emerges from the pandemic people will stop going to work in school when they are sick they also say getting the flu shot will be even more important than ever this fall because if there is a CO vid nineteen resurgence the health care system wants to prevent being overwhelmed by two viruses at once hey if you like that video be sure to subscribe to our ABC 7 Chicago YouTube channel.