Open Sesame.

• Author: Lee, Tenpao
• Position: BUSINESS & FINANCE

At the beginning of the pandemic, there was a swift government shutdown of the economy. Today, with reopening underway, the process has been quite different. It most certainly has not been mandatory and sudden. A return to "normal" pre-pandemic levels will take some time and require flexibility on the part of businesses and consumers.

In March and April of 2020, businesses that did not follow shutdown orders may have been fined, so they were forced to do so. Now, it will be up to individual businesses to define their return timetables.

In hindsight, it might have been better to have allowed businesses (and individual jurisdictions) to create their own policies based on the level of disease in their areas and the nature of individual businesses--could they operate without putting employees and customers in peril? We may never know if we could have prevented the level of unemployment and economic slowdown that resulted from a full-scale national closure.

The pandemic has changed everything. Most Americans have learned and adjusted to living with COVID-19. So, even if we open the economy fully, it will be structurally different and not comparable to the pre-pandemic conditions.

For instance, the demand for business travel may take years to return. Working from home likely will become permanent in some industries. Remote learning may become more common for higher education. Masks may be a part of...