While COVID-19 still poses a threat, early actions taken by the City of St. Petersburg and social distancing have helped to lessen the worst of this public health crisis locally.

In late April, Mayor Kriseman announced that it was time to prepare to “Restart St. Pete” in a thoughtful and gradual manner, and with respect to federal guidelines and state and county orders. He convened his city team and 17 advisors, including physicians and business leaders, to help chart the course forward while incorporating feedback from the St. Petersburg City Council, restaurateurs, and community leaders. He has pledged to get our Sunshine City back to normal or a new normal as soon as is responsibly possible.

Beaches and Pools

Last Monday (5.4.2020), Maximo Beach, North Shore Beach, St. Petersburg Municipal Beach at Treasure Island, and Lassing Beach (no swimming) were opened to the public.

The North Shore Aquatic Complex and Walter Fuller Pool will only be open for Swim to Stay Fit, Masters Lap Swimming, and St. Petersburg Aquatics (SPA) program participants for the use of lap swimming. No general public or recreational swimming will be permitted. For weekly re-opening updates, visit http://www.stpete.org/emergency/restart.php

Businesses that may be changed forever

COVID-19 created a firestorm – a public health emergency and a devastating economic crisis. The uncertainty we feel as our country begins to reopen is palpable. It’s as though we’re lab mice in an experiment – a social science experiment. Going forward, we will refer to things happening as either “Before Coronavirus” or “After Coronavirus”.

Working from home

According to an AARP article, “10 Things the Pandemic Has Changed for Good” by Andy Markowitz, COVID-19 abruptly introduced tens of millions of workers to telecommuting, and data from the Coronavirus Disruption Project suggests a lot of them like it. Forty-two percent of survey participants said the experience has made them want to work from home more. Sixty-one percent of those who are teleworking said they are enjoying the relaxed attire and grooming standards, greater flexibility and lack of a commute, and 78 percent said they are as effective or more so working from home.

“I think there will be some upside” to this disruption that workers will want to preserve, says Debra Dinnocenzo, the president of VirtualWorks, a consulting firm that advises companies on transitioning to telework. “People, families, are going to be spending more time together,” she says. “I think people will be more adamant that they want more time to work at home and not go back to all the crazy commuting they were doing before.”

For many, that will sit well with their bosses. Nearly three-quarters of corporate finance officials surveyed in late March by Gartner, a business research and consulting firm, said their companies plan to move at least 5 percent of on-site workers to permanent remote status as part of their post-COVID cost-cutting efforts.

Shopping for groceries

The article goes on to say that it’s no surprise that the online purchase and home delivery of groceries has surged amid coronavirus lockdowns. A March 2020 survey of more than 1,500 consumers by investment firm RBC Capital Markets found that 55 percent had shopped for groceries online, compared with 36 percent in a similar poll in late 2018. The number doing so weekly nearly doubled. And downloads of apps for delivery services like Instacart, Walmart Grocery and Peapod doubled, tripled, even quadrupled in just a month.

RBC, which has taken consumers’ pulse on online grocery shopping regularly since 2015, dug deeper into whether the changes might be lasting. More than half of those who purchased groceries online said the COVID crisis made them more likely to keep doing so permanently. Among those who shopped only at stores, 41 percent said they planned to try delivery in the next six months. The results show “an inflection point” in consumer demand, RBC says — “a more sustainable and permanent shift” in how we buy food.

Out of something bad comes something good

COVID-19 has forced us to reassess some of our assumptions about modern life. We’ve begun to ask ourselves – do I really need all this stuff? Should I try to find more meaningful work to spend my productive time? It’s important to sit down and prioritize what’s meaningful so we can build our lives spending the right amount of energy in doing what we feel is most essential. If enough individuals can finally find time to think, maybe we might make better decisions collectively on how to live well and live better for our planet’s long-term survival.

Related Links:
COVID-19 Will Permanently Change The Way Every Generation Lives
Why Do Women Make Such Good Leaders During COVID-19?

St. Petersburg Communities

Allendale Terrace
Bahama Shores
Bayway Isles
Coquina Key
Crescent Heights
Crescent Lake
Downtown
Greater Pinellas Point
Historic Kenwood
Historic Old Northeast
Historic Roser Park
Historic Uptown
Isla del Sol
Old Southeast
Placida Bayou
Snell Isle

If you’re interested in any of these of communities or live in one and are thinking of selling, talk to The Mesimer Team.

Estelia@Estelia.com
727.686.2859