Unless you live under a rock, and even then, you have probably heard a lot about the Coronavirus situation. While initially considered by some to be a minor virus, it has led to a developed country being under quarantine. For my fellow Americans, we are starting to see companies freezing the hiring of new candidates, layoffs occurring more often, certain states closing schools and restaurants, and the stock market is not doing too hot. In other words, you have a lot of reasons to panic and be afraid.
The situation is definitely going down in the history books and so far, 2020 has not been as promising of a year as many of us thought. As for how I have personally experienced impact here in NYC, there are a few things I have noticed.
Empty bars.
I went out to a bar just this past weekend that is normally packed with a line that requires about a thirty minute wait, instead I ended up walking right in with seats available at the bar. Packed dance floors probably had five people in them at best, that is what we were looking at. An empty place on the whole and lots of space to just move around.
Places with stricter door policies were now becoming more lenient, some even advertising people to come in when otherwise they would not let a guy in unless he was bring hot girls with him. I did surprisingly find a couple of bars that were decently packed and full of opportunities so it seems like in a very select few places, business is thriving.
I feel like this is going to close down a lot of bars that may be favorites for the locals.
Empty streets.
While on a typical Manhattan street you could be all too used to seeing a packed place, now Herald Square itself felt almost deserted. Midtown probably has 25% of the people walking around than it did before. For all of you day game fans out there, get used to a lot less foot traffic and a lot more people potentially on guard. I even hear word about the city potentially shutting down and putting people under quarantine if the situation does not improve.
Work from home is the new normal.
While I have a typical office job that requires me to constantly be in attendance, I am now working from home. The entire company has mandated that all their employees work remote and same is the case for my friends as well. On one hand, the benefit here is that it has let me check out more bars in the area as I can be up an hour later now, no longer having to deal with the long commute.
How will this impact your ability to go out, meet women, and enjoy life as a single guy?
I went out and noticed that while the crowds at bars were smaller, the women who were there were a lot more approachable and desperate. My thoughts are that the women going out in this kind of a situation really want to find a guy. I was having a drink at a bar and before I know it, as my friend left to go to the bathroom, one girl came up and immediately started dancing next to me before proposing to dance with me.
The women you find who are going out at night are really going to want a guy.
We might see a shift here in that women who are out are on the prowl and might even have lower standards as a result. I found a lot less social barriers at bars which are normally cliquish as a result of going out this past weekend. My sample size is a bit small here as it is only one weekend and I wanted to see what was going on but this is what I am noticing. I would highly encourage all guys to lose their approach anxiety ASAP and start approaching.
Day game might actually become tougher.
Due to a mixture of the virus scare and the moods of the population leering on the end of caution and paranoia, you might find a lot less approachable women during the day. For the women (and people in general) who are not partying, there is a lot of fear and uncertainty in the air not of the virus but of its impact on their daily lives. When the job market is becoming unstable and layoffs the norm, people are worried about their day to day. I would encourage guys to keep this in mind and perhaps put women more at ease when approaching, being empathetic instead of the typical aggressive game.
Dating apps are neutral for now but could have the potential to take off in a big way.
If there is a lockdown or a quarantine implemented, I would not be surprised if traffic picks up significantly on a lot of the traditional dating apps. If you have the money to spend on boosts and other ways to get your profile to the top, this would be where you need to invest it. You could build up quite a solid pipeline for the coming months that really pays off in the summer if this dies down by then. Hell of a story to say you matched during a really bad time. Given how social events and other things might die down, dating apps could become the place to be at for most people.
Your mindset towards it all is key.
No doubt that this is a very tough time for society as a whole with all of the uncertainty this virus has produced. When all others see is chaos and misery, it is on you to find the opportunity in unique places. Now is the time to build yourself, improve your background, and find unique ways you can set yourself up for success in the coming months. The fact about chaotic times is that they produce a lot of opportunity if you know where to look.
Update:
NYC’s mayor Bill De Blasio has announced that bars and restaurants need to close starting on March 17, 2020 as you can see here.
