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Even After ‘Flattening the Curve,' Americans Face a Long Road Back to Pre-Coronavirus Normalcy

Experts say aggressive testing and continued social distancing will have major impact on day-to-day life until a vaccine is developed

Published April 19, 2020 • Updated on April 19, 2020 at 11:21 pm

Time Square is seen empty in New York — Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

After flattening the curve, Americans should expect a number of curveballs, NBC News reports.

Once the immediate crush of COVID-19 cases subsides, epidemiologists say a "post-peak" purgatory lies ahead until a vaccine can be discovered and disseminated that would allow a return to normalcy.

"When this lockdown ends, it’s not going to be like one day you’re in your house and the next day you’re taking the metro to the ballgame" said Dr. Robert Murphy, the director of the Institute for Global Health at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

"It’s not going to happen like that. It’s going to be gradual.

"You can think of a million different scenarios, and the reason why you have to think of a million scenarios is because nobody is in charge.

"There is no master plan."

Read the full story on NBCNews.com