The New York Times runs a story of rich Europeans heading for their second homes in the countryside to escape the Covid-19 pandemic, echoed on msn.com. Don't be surprised if Americans do likewise, many New Yorkers have been reported going to Florida. Leaving town has been a smart thing to do to avoid disease for at least several hundred years.
The DrsC live in rural settings most of the year and drive a distance that ranges between 7 and 16 miles to get our mail, groceries, and fuel. Social distancing describes our life. The exception to rural living is when we're on a cruise ship, something we normally do twice a year for 2-4 weeks each time (N.B., our spring cruise this year, to Hawaii, has been cancelled).
Cruise ship life resembles urban life. Small, densely clustered cabins, restaurant meals, shared dining tables, elevators, crowded theaters, night club-like bars with entertainment - it's the urban luxury hotel experience. And no surprise, when we do catch a cold or get a cough, it is normally on shipboard. This has happened often enough that I've considered refusing to cruise but realized the other DrC would just leave me home.
The Covid-19 pandemic could enhance the desire to escape urban living, and telecommuting makes that choice possible for increasing numbers of professionals. The best part - a trend to rural living will drive urban planners bonkers.
