Opinion: The coronavirus will make the digital divide even worse

Companies may well decide to help workers buy smartphones, perhaps with government subsidies too. But that would then make having a smartphone a job requirement, including in the retail and public sectors. This would create a new and in some ways more serious digital divide. — Bloomberg

Over time Americans will become better at managing life under lockdown, in its varying degrees of severity. But almost all the ways it is made easier will require information technology for their enforcement and manageability. This will bring increased attention to "the digital divide” — the fact that not all Americans have a smartphone or high-speed home internet connection.

First, consider that there is a risk of second and third waves of the virus, and Americans likely will remain fearful for some while to come. One recent study suggested that Covid-19 might remain a force to worry about through 2024. That means some forms of physical distancing will persist, making Americans more dependent on information technology.