Americans Are Feeling Optimistic And Uncertain As Second Pandemic Summer Begins
Consider This from NPR
NPR
4.2 • 6.2K Ratings
🗓️ 1 June 2021
⏱️ 13 minutes
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Summary
KUOW's Clare McGrane reports on how that transition has been especially complicated for a choir in Washington state. Members were at the center of one of the earliest super-spreader events in the U.S. last year.
Saskia Popescu, infectious disease expert and assistant professor at George Mason University, says for as much progress as the U.S. has made against the coronavirus, many countries are still dealing with outbreaks and struggling to get vaccines.
Listen to GBH reporter Tori Bedford's story on easing back into socializing here.
In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Nate Rajee is not an economist, but he is on online dating apps. And so when it comes to a |
| 0:06.6 | post-pandemic US economy, that's where he sees some interesting changes. |
| 0:12.1 | It definitely seems like more people are getting out there. There's sort of this awakening |
| 0:16.8 | out of the hibernation, you know? Earlier in the pandemic, he did some video only dates, |
| 0:21.6 | not everyone was willing to meet up in person. Now more are. But after more than a year of social |
| 0:27.6 | distancing, even grabbing a drink or a coffee, I mean, he can feel daunting. |
| 0:32.3 | I just went on a date yesterday from a dating app and I felt like it went pretty well, but |
| 0:38.6 | at some points, there was like a loss in the conversation. Tammy and San Diego were using her |
| 0:43.9 | first name to protect her privacy. So it's her transition back to in-person dating has been |
| 0:50.0 | an awkward one. Pre-pandemic, when I was seeing people much more regularly, I would be able to, |
| 0:55.1 | you know, bring up another topic of conversation quickly. But my mind isn't like firing |
| 1:00.1 | on all cylinders as quickly as it used to. So I definitely think it'll take some time for me to be |
| 1:05.8 | able to socialize as well as I was before. That's social awkwardness. It's not just on dating apps. |
| 1:13.6 | In high schools across the country, students are suddenly finding themselves sitting in physical |
| 1:18.1 | classrooms next to people they've been on video calls with all year. I was sitting next to this |
| 1:23.6 | girl and I'm like, I don't know who you are. I don't know. That's really weird if I asked them |
| 1:28.0 | their name. Bridget Dawnovan is a senior at Framing M. High in Massachusetts. She spoke to GBH's |
| 1:33.2 | Tori Bedford. Small talk is hard after the year they've been through. Someone's like, how are you? |
| 1:38.8 | I'm like, you want the long answer or the short answer? I could say, I'm good and then we end this |
| 1:44.1 | conversation. Or I'll tell you the truth and that, you know, it's going to go into a big, |
| 1:49.6 | long thing if I'm tired, I'm stressed. All these new, exhausting in-person interactions are a |
| 1:56.9 | sign of how much progress the U.S. has made in fighting the virus. More than half the country has |
... |
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