the main scifi I'm writing currently starts in a similar way: The characters are enjoying an oddly tense dinner party. As the scene goes on, I slowly include details that make it clear they're in a virtual space. The final reveal is that they're all basically locked down in their own bedrooms due to some unknown disaster, so they're hanging in [VR Chat] to help everyone stay calm, and to share what little information they do have.
Writing it keeps reminding me of the pandemic lockdowns, which weren't an intentional influence, but I think they did a lot to reinforce our social systems, because they faced so much unexpected burden so suddenly. I'm moving forward under the assumption that people today have a heightened instinct in favor of social welfare, and will act accordingly, both in my writing, and in real life.