Linchi Kwok, Ph.D.

When will the COVID-19 pandemic end? When can we go out again? When will we be able to travel again? The damage of COVID-19 pandemic to the global economy is devastating. Stores are closing due to the Coronavirus outbreak . For most of us, making a trip to the grocery stores or restaurants for pickups suddenly becomes a luxury outdoor experience. Since California issued the stay-at-home order in mid-March, over 316 million people in the U.S. and Puerto Rico are now urged to stay at home. The U.S. State Department also issued a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” advisory for all international travel.  When nobody goes out, the travel and hospitality industry reported a record-low performance . Businesses want to see people going out and traveling again soon. Today, many people are getting tired of staying at home. Residents from coast to coast are protesting against the stay-at-home orders . So, when can we go out and begin traveling again? First and foremost,

COVID-19  hit the economy so hard  that it could  take three years for the U.S. to recover . Many states have paused non-essential businesses and  placed a stay-at-home order , where restaurants can only offer  curbside pick-up or delivery service . Nobody goes out. Recently, the U.S. State Department issued a  “Level 4” travel advisory for all international travel . As of April 5, seven of the 48 contiguous states, including Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Delaware, and Nevada, plus Alaska and Hawaii,  require almost all incoming travelers to self-quarantine for 14 days . Nobody travels. Hotels recorded the unprecedented-low performance The travel and hospitality industry  got hit the hardest, with  massy layoffs  and record-low KPIs (key performance indicators). According to  STR’s lodging report for the week ended on March 28 , the industry’s KPIs hit “unprecedented low.” STR is  the leading data analytics provider for the lodg