It’s too soon to know what to think about what’s happening. It’s all so fast. From vibrant city life to lockdown. From health to sickness. From sanguinity to fear. Also, no toilet paper.
And no jobs. No income. No safety net. It’s going to be brutal, that’s the only thing we can say for sure now.
Perhaps the worst part is that we have no idea how many it will kill or how long it will last. If we succeed in slowing the spread—“flattening the curve”—we will save lives by avoiding overwhelming our healthcare system, but we will also extend the period of sickness and economic paralysis. I’m not saying the cure will be worse than the disease, but it will be bad, and I’m not sure anyone knows just how bad.
Our society is as economically stratified now as I've ever known it. The virus hits all income levels, but the measures to contain it disproportionately afflict the poor. This is going to be very tough on anyone who has been living paycheck-to-paycheck. It’s hard to imagine the consequences to them of this lasting eighteen months, as epidemiologists say may be possible, perhaps likely.
Yes to all of the above! We're definitely in uncharted territory now -- free fall, really. And you're absolutely right that, while Covid19 can strike anyone, anywhere, the worst effects from this pandemic AND the economic fallout will be felt by the poorest and most vulnerable of us. That's a tremendously scary thought, too, about our national election!! What is to be done!???
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