Since March, upper-class residents in New York have moved to their villas to keep a "safe distance" -- more than just a social distance -- from the epidemic.
On the other side of the Atlantic, Queen Elizabeth has now lived in Scotland for the same reason. It is rumored that she may never come back to London.
In July 2020, Tokyo's population outflow exceeded inflow for the first time since 2013.
Big cities were the center of business and entertainment. That is why many people lived there despite high living costs. That is changing due to COVID-19.
Now that telework has become the standard at many companies, they started to recruit with no specific duty stations. Prospective employees can apply from any place on the planet and will not need to relocate or commute, while staying at home wherever they choose to live.
Meanwhile, New York has been draining the workforce and wealth and has become a hotbed for crime. Due to increasingly squalid conditions on the Upper West Side, including two new homeless shelters packed with drug addicts and registered sex offenders, longtime dwellers are departing the Big Apple with no plans to ever return, the New York Post reported. Compared with a year ago, murders increased 29 percent; and shootings are up 79 percent in NYC.
As a result, the number of new contracts for rent in the city has decreased by 23.5 percent since pre-COVID-19 times. Rent has lowered by 10 percent. Similar market declines happened after the 9-11 terror attack in New York or the 3-11 earthquake in Tokyo, but they bounced back. The current situation is different, though -- there is no clear roadmap in sight to get back to normal, and the world is now moving into a new life bearing the brunt of the coronavirus.
Since last month, I have also been living such a new life in a Tokyo suburb. Similar to New Yorkers I feel comfortable by keeping a safe distance from others and appreciate the affordable living environment. At the same time, I miss "the good old days" of in-person communication -- only until six months ago -- in vibrant cities.
