As we reopen, reflections on risks, changes and pandemic management

The coronavirus rocked us, but we agree on some things about COVID-19.

It's a global pandemic, almost 600,000 Americans died and it is primarily spread by respiratory droplets. Precautions like masks, physical distancing and hand-washing mitigate the spread.

On other issues, we the people don't agree. Was it caused by someone? Who? Why? Are vaccines safe? The vaccine passport? Does a mask order take your freedom? If vaccinated, skip the mask? Is it safe to hug? Dine outdoors? Can governors declare a coronavirus emergency?

I dealt with this in the way some of you did, but others chose a different path. The changes in my work and my leisure, family and friends were significant. As we start the bridge phase, let's realize that disagreeing does not make us foes.

My Work

On a sunny Wednesday in California, I had just finished a presentation regarding whether medical marijuana was a reasonable modification for kids with disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). At our crowded exhibit booth we got the news: the conference closed early because of rising COVID cases. Flying home, passengers were evenly divided ... just like today. Was it serious or did California overreact?

Then, state after state issued stay at home orders, including Illinois. At work, we decided to do more rather than less in response to this risk. None of us wanted to look back in 10 months and see infected co-workers and realize we had not done enough, even if it meant looking back and thinking we could have relaxed restrictions earlier.

So I became a remote worker. We usually had 135 people at our building and we instead provided the technology so remote work could occur. The first months were tough. Some clients stopped paying bills. Gradually, some folks returned to the office. Today, we average 35 in the office, with the rest working remotely. Our workspace looks different with our risk protocols, but we still get the job done.

The way we did business changed. Instead of traveling, Zoom became an everyday feature. "Zoom casual" replaced "office casual" dress. Presentations and reports were remote. When travel windows opened, we hurriedly took advantage of them.

Now that many of us are vaccinated, including myself, we will likely relax our protocols, but remote workers and Zoom are here to stay. As cities and states see declining infection rates, travel is being scheduled too.

My leisure, family and friends

My wife and I enjoy travel, three-day weekends usually. It became hard to find states that would take us or states that we would take because of lax protocols. We caught up instead on 10 cable series, read more, visited Binnie's more and exercised in our home and neighborhood more. We survived and thanks to Amazon, have some new things in our house too.

My sibs and significant others found that Zoom bridges the gap. We are scattered across four states and three time zones. We should have done this sooner. My oldest son and his family live in Palatine, so we saw them occasionally. After much discussion, we broke a rule and hugged grandkids.

My other son lives in Eugene and Zoom, texts and the lousy fate of a Bears fan kept us in touch. In hindsight, I see more of my family than before. Same for our friends. I miss a restaurant meal and beverage and telling tall tales. So biweekly Zoom events, including cocktails, became a fun way to see friends and stay in touch.

Today

I am cautious about my mask. Stores and gyms allow me not to wear one, because I am vaccinated. Those same stores are blocked from asking the unmasked their vaccine status. Many believe the vaccine is unsafe or a fraud. Almost 6,000 vaccinated people, including a friend, got COVID after vaccination. So I I'll wait. If I know vaccine status, or if infection rates drop, I'll wear masks less.

Until then, I'd rather be safe than sorry. To me, 600,000 dead means there was too little risk management.

• John McGovern, of Gilberts, leads the Accessibility Practice for WT Group and helps local governments comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.