Regardless of the facts, and what any of us believe pertaining to COVID-19, we all have to deal with the actions of local, state, and federal government policies put in place as a response to the virus.
Very soon after states started easing restrictions and reopening the number of new cases started to rise. While it can be argued – and should be – that more testing equates to an increase in new cases – the rising number of deaths is concerning. Over the past 7-10 days, the daily number of deaths appears to be decreasing. This is good news.
By the way – I am well aware that the data is skewed and accuracy is highly suspicious. The data used is what we have to go by at the moment. Real-world evidence has many hospitals beyond full capacity. The virus is spreading and the number of hospitalizations and deaths is up. There is no doubt about that. The true “death rate” or measure of lethality is certainly not nearly as high as the American people and the world was led to believe.
‘Nuff said on the data.
The New Normal
Policies, rules, and planned reactions to levels of infection vary greatly by localities and state. Politicians are largely instituting policies based on a combination of effective practices to diminish the spread, economic impact, and poll numbers.
Notice I did not mention “Rights of the citizen and constitutionality” as a contributing factor towards policy development. When you can walk into a liquor store, loot and riot, go to Walmart – but you cannot go to church – the obvious biases are evident. Another relevant example of political bias toward determining policy is how a large segment of the Left wants to provide simple and insecure means to vote – rather than the normal method. Once again – people can stand in line at Wal-Mart, however, to many standing in line to vote is too dangerous. The lack of consistency and the level of hypocrisy knows no boundaries.
Masks are part of the new normal. Social distancing is part of the new normal. Shopping online and using innovation to find methods of conducting commerce with little to know physical interactions is part of the new normal.
Part-time school with a substantial amount of online learning is likely something that will not be going away anytime soon. Students wearing masks all day and minimal class-sizes may become part of the new normal. The changes in schools and e-learning will have a detrimental impact on the economy and developmental progress of students.
The coming Fall/Winter season will be the first dealing with COVID. Imagine how people will be looked at who are sneezing, coughing, and have stuffy noses due to the common cold? Employers will increase their requirements on testing for those “suspected” of having any kind of sickness to make absolutely certain it’s not COVID will increase.
Imagine what will occur when a vaccine comes out. How many employers will require as part of employment all employees to get the vaccine? Will Schools will require students to get the COVID vaccine in order to enroll?
It’s going to be interesting.
Steps to Prepare
I’m not expecting any kind of catastrophe due to the 2nd wave of shutdowns. Here are a few thoughts pertaining to commonsense preparedness for the coming lockdown:
Basic Pandemic Protection: For those looking to protect themselves as much as possible from contracting COVID-19 the following items are recommended to stock up in quantity.
- Masks – as more and more places are requiring masks, make sure you have plenty on hand.
- Hand Sanitizer – Hand sanitizer has become much more readily available. If the new cases continue to trend upward and you wish to avoid contracting the virus, hand sanitizer is useful for sanitizing hands and other items such as shopping cart handles.
- Disinfectant Spray – Still hard to find in most areas, “Lysol” type spray is useful for disinfecting larger areas and objects such as toilet seats, doorknobs, keyboards, etc.
- Antibacterial Cleaning – Cleaning items such as Clorox wipes and cleaning solutions that are effective against viruses are still highly sought after and difficult to find.
Other Preparedness Tasks/Steps: When the Fall comes the unknown will arrive. The regular flu will infect hundreds of thousands of people and with similar symptoms to COVID and create an environment of fear and suspicion. Everyone with sniffles, a cough, a stuffy nose – will be looked at as “one of those”. Wait and see.
The complexity of this situation cannot be overstated.
- Debt Reduction. With the economic uncertainty and businesses closing, reducing hours, and changing how they operate the chances of becoming unemployed are likely to increase in the Fall. Reducing debt to better be able to handle times of income reduction should be started now.
- Saving. Saving goes right along with debt reduction. Having an emergency cash stash just in case makes sense and will help if income reductions occur.
- Secondary Streams of Income. Backup funding sources to keep you afloat should hours get cut back or you lose your job should be a priority. Selling things on eBay is a good example. Using a skill such as baking cakes or petsitting is another.
- Stocking Up. Food prices have increased substantially over the past few months. Will this trend continue? I would plan on YES. Buying food now – especially on sale and using coupons, can save you a lot of money. Buying now being smart and strategic could save you upwards of 30-40% over what you might pay in 6 months. Spend $750 per month on groceries now? This could amount to a $300 per month savings later. BTW – this goes for everything – not just food.
- Cold/Flu Medicines. There is likely to be a run on cold & flu medicines this Fall. Stock up now as supplies will likely become short and prices will go up.
Regardless of what the next lockdown looks like or if we have one at all – I’m not sure there has been a time in the past 100 years where the future of our country has been so uncertain.
Keep prepping. Keep moving forward. Stay positive!
Rourke
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