COVID-19 might fundamentally change Western society  

Editor's note: Andrew Korybko is a Moscow-based American political analyst. The article reflects the author's opinions, and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

The sudden outbreak of COVID-19 throughout the West has led to a spree of emergency decisions by dozens of governments that would have been unthinkable just a few weeks ago. From the shutting down of basically every business, except the most essential ones like pharmacies and grocery stores, to mandatory quarantines for entire countries, Westerners have never experienced such extreme measures even in wartime. 

These necessary policies, however, have had far-reaching unintended consequences in the social, economic and political realms.

Westerners are used to going about as they please, but now most of them are forced to remain at home except to go to the few remaining essential businesses that remain open. Many people now fear for their livelihoods because they've been living check-by-check and weren't able to save up enough of their earnings for the proverbial "rainy day" – or in this case, at least "two rainy weeks." 

Still others are concerned that their governments might exploit these emergency decisions for self-interested political reasons in the future.

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