One-Year Later: COVID-19 Pivots We Hope Become Permanent

As we reflect on one-year of life in a pandemic, it’s easy to overlook some of the positive things that have come out of this new way of life. There’s no doubt the last year was tremendously hard in many respects. However, as vaccines become more widely available and cases continue trending down, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate a few innovations we hope stick around once we return to our pre-COVID lives.

To-Go Cocktails

New Ohio laws designed to support bars and restaurants during closures allowed patrons to add to-go cocktails to their takeout orders for the first time. This has led to a lot of creativity from local establishments and is a great way to enhance any carryout meal!

New Patio Availability

As the days grow longer and get warmer, it’s clear that Ohioans love to be outside. With limited indoor capacity, restaurants needed to create more dining space, many turned to patio expansions to fill that need, leading to additional space that can be converted to fit needs for any season.

Virtual and At-Home Activities

It’s no secret that Columbus has some of the best attractions in the country. While many facilities have reopened to the public, the at-home activities and virtual programming that have been made available throughout the past year have allowed a wider range of audiences from across the country to engage with our attractions on their own time.

Emphasis on the Outdoors

Never has there been such enthusiasm for the outdoors as the world has seen in the last year. Sporting goods stores were emptied of inventory as families flocked toward parks, gardens and trails as a means to spend time together outside of their homes. Columbus has a variety of incredible open-air assets that residents and visitors alike can continue to enjoy during all seasons.

Local Love

One of the incredible ways the community came together during COVID-19 was to support local businesses and ensure their money stayed local. It is imperative that this continues on an ongoing basis. Act as if every day is Small Business Saturday!