Social distancing extremes…travel bubbles…and more! - Vested

Social distancing extremes…travel bubbles…and more!

Live where you work: One extreme social distancing strategy being practiced is sequestering employees at work to minimize the chances of the virus being brought onto the premises. In some cases, the employees have not been home to visit their loved ones since midMarch. A desalination center in Carlsbad, California and a National Guard missile-defense contingent in Colorado Springs, Colorado are only two instances in which employees have been housed on or near job sites as they keep vital operations going, reports The Wall Street Journal.

“It’s not an easy call to make, to say: ‘You can’t go home to your family and friends,’” said U.S. Army Sgt. Nadia Carter, who is temporarily living away from home with four other missile-defense crew members in Colorado. “You do what you have to do for your brothers and sisters next to you.”

Bubble bonding: Last year at this time, the world was more mobile than ever with innovations in the travel industry allowing people to take more than four billion flights. This April, however,  saw flights carrying just 47 million passengers; numbers which revert to the 1970s if annualized. This halt has exacerbated global economic woes, complicated trade relations and upended entire business industries.

As the economy gradually starts to re-open, governments are looking for alternative ways to restore trade and tourism as opening borders to pre-pandemic levels is currently inconceivable. An idea which is increasingly gaining popularity is that of travel “bubbles.” Read more from The Economist to get a detailed insight.

A European wipe-out: Germany is officially in a recession after reporting a 2.2 percent contraction in its economy for the first quarter. More than 10 million Germans have also registered to have their wages partially paid by the state. However, the decline witnessed in Germany was only half of the percentages seen in France and Italy. Does this mean different European states are being differently impacted by the virus? Or are some European governments doing a better job than others at saving jobs and battling the effects of the virus?

Read more as The Independent answers these questions.

Office Blackout: The pandemic created a necessary and urgent shift in how employees across almost every industry work, as well as for many businesses redefined the need for a physical office space in which to house their employees. As local economies are reopening and employees are slowly being allowed back to work, The Wall Street Journal examines whether many companies will even need physical offices to return to as things continue to normalize. Many companies are now offering long term or permanent remote work opportunities as benefits of telecommuting come to light.

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