As soon as it became clear how destructive the COVID-19 pandemic would be, the world was faced with a reality in which its citizens had to stare down both a public health disaster and an economic one.
After all, so many industries rely on the kind of foot traffic and international travel that was no longer possible in 2020. And even if you were lucky enough to work a job that didn't feel the worst effects of the pandemic, the sheer number of those who weren't made that fact abundantly clear.
Just like with the virus itself, we're not out of the woods when it comes to it economic effects yet. But recent months have shown some encouraging signs that the day when we are may not be as distant as it once seemed.