One Year Later Our Answer To Lockdowns Must Be 'Never Again'

[TBoneTX 45,537]

We should all read this.  Comments?

Quote

One Year Later Our Answer To Lockdowns Must Be 'Never Again'

February 23, 2021 by David Marcus

 

As we approach the one-year anniversary of the coronavirus lockdowns, American society is at a crossroads.  For almost the entire time it has taken for the planet to revolve around the sun, most Americans have been living under crushing and unprecedented restrictions.  Well, they aren't unprecedented anymore, and that is a fact that we and our progeny will need to struggle with.  [...]

 

Continues here:   https://thefederalist.com/2021/02/23/one-year-later-our-answer-to-lockdowns-must-be-never-again/  

 

[Dashinka 24,597]

It is very possible many of these freedoms will be lost permanently.  Very troubling.

[millefleur 5,047]

2 hours ago, Dashinka said:

It is very possible many of these freedoms will be lost permanently.  Very troubling.

I think it's a trade off because now a lot of people have the incredible opportunity to work from home, which is a total game changer for some people in terms of quality of life and probably would have never been implemented en masse without some of the lockdown response. Companies/corporations would have never dared to risk trying that without something like a global pandemic forcing them to. I see it a s a huge silver lining to the lockdowns.

[Dashinka 24,597]

13 minutes ago, millefleur said:

I think it's a trade off because now a lot of people have the incredible opportunity to work from home, which is a total game changer for some people in terms of quality of life and probably would have never been implemented en masse without some of the lockdown response. Companies/corporations would have never dared to risk trying that without something like a global pandemic forcing them to. I see it a s a huge silver lining to the lockdowns.

I don't disagree, but there are pros and cons to working remotely.  Personally I do like it, but I would prefer more of a mix (2-3 days in the office) and the other days remote.  In my position, we had already been moving toward a more flexible work schedule, and working remotely occasionally was becoming the norm which did free us up from doing things like taking a vacation day when we had a technician coming to the house or something like that, but there is something to say for personal face-to-face interactions.  Another issue with remote work is we often get meetings scheduled all day and into the evening, so work/life balance can be a challenge.

Edited February 24, 2021 by Dashinka

[TBoneTX 45,537]

The commercial real estate industry may not ever recover.

[Unlockable 7,315]

2 minutes ago, TBoneTX said:

The commercial real estate industry may not ever recover.

Brick and mortar stores were on a decline anyway. COVID kind of fast forwarded the norm of online shopping.

 

I'm certainly sad to see small businesses close because of the pandemic. 

[Dashinka 24,597]

9 minutes ago, Unlockable said:

Brick and mortar stores were on a decline anyway. COVID kind of fast forwarded the norm of online shopping.

 

I'm certainly sad to see small businesses close because of the pandemic. 

It is interesting, we actually sought more out from brick and mortar businesses then relying on online sources.  

 

20 minutes ago, TBoneTX said:

The commercial real estate industry may not ever recover.

Yeah, big office spaces are probably a thing of the past.

[yuna628 9,680]

All I can say is, while we have lost some restaurants (some big chain and some owned by the more elderly that were close to failing anyway) I've seen more small business open up in town than ever before. Bakeries, cafes, small gift/clothing stores. Restaurants quickly adapted to 'to go' ordering or outdoor eating, early on some even sold groceries. Our local Chick Fil A? That guy makes a killing. The line can go down the street. Same with all the other fast food places. We had severe flooding come through in the middle of the pandemic which severely damaged businesses and they are still booming. Our favorite local diner opened up a beer garden, open dining in the parking lot, limited seating inside, delivery or to go ordering. The owner can barely keep up some days, and tells me it's crazy busy. There's hurting and there's also thriving. I was sad about the Godiva store, they had good kids working there, but across the way at the Macys one lady told me we were the 15th person of the day looking for their Godiva display which had almost sold out and it was crazy how much business they were doing.

 

Walmart hasn't missed out, drive past there and it looks like Black Friday is now every day. The hardware store is now like the town gathering hole, so they started selling food, beds, and toys! We're also about to start a major redevelopment project that isn't without controversy. Cutting down miles of forest to build hundreds of homes, shopping complex, and industrial stuff.

 

Edited February 25, 2021 by yuna628

[TBoneTX 45,537]

That's a great report with good news, Y ma'am.