Pandemic disruption, extended bodies, and elastic situations - Reflections on COVID-19 and Mobilities

The COVID-19 pandemic has unleashed an unprecedented disruption. The quantitative effects on health, economy, travel, social interaction and almost any walk-of-life imaginable are massive. There is no doubt that this is a deep crisis, with profound effects. As we speak estimations and extrapolations of what this means for the future of cities and societies takes on new heights. This paper is not about these ‘big effects’. Rather, it will invite a reflection upon the often taken-for-granted nature of mobilities and the contemporary city. We propose to ‘think with’ Covid-19 as it were in order to utilize it as a catalyst for bringing about more nuanced and deep descriptions of ‘banal’ everyday mobilities practices. For example, the standing in line at the bus-shed, the positioning and seating on the subway, the passing of pedestrians on the pavement, and the mobile negotiation of street spaces. The paper treat Covid-19 as a window into the ‘politics of visibility’. The paper presents two key concepts as tools for enabling this reflection. One is the notion of the ‘extended body’ and the other the ‘elastic situation’. These are exemplified in three short empirical vignettes of public space activities: queuing, running, and drive-in services.