Since the beginning of the coronavirus, we have started to stay home and practice social distancing to help curb the spread of the virus and lessen the load on our healthcare system. Non-essential businesses have shut down as this pandemic continues to spread. People are working from home if they can, but many are also now out of a job. Schools are also shut down for the rest of the school year and times are changing.
While the quarantine is put in place to help keep us safe, many aspects of our society are suffering. With many of the things we do being outside and public, many are now left at home with little or nothing to do. People are starting to get cabin fever and this “quarantine madness” has people yearning to get back out into the world. Just this week, CNN detailed how thousand flocked to beaches amid the heat-wave that hit the Los Angeles area.
During the shutdown, local businesses are also being crippled and people are being left without a job. Almost 4.4% of people were unemployed in the US as of March 2020 and that number is expected to climb in April as the quarantine continues (Bureau of Labor Statistics). People who have lost their jobs have started to turn to alternative sources of income as detailed in these articles by CNN and Forbes. Many of the people who have been laid off have applied for unemployment, but some peoples’ applications have been pending for weeks due to the overload of traffic which only serves as evidence that the unemployment problem is only going to get worse.
With the effects of the quarantine already taking its toll on daily life, and things only looking to get worse, the question must be asked. How much longer can we stay in quarantine? If we cannot find any long term solutions for the problems that come with the quarantine, how much longer can this up?
Sources:
Andone, Dakin, and Paul Vercammen. “People Crowd Southern California Beaches despite Coronavirus Concerns.” CNN, Cable News Network, 26 Apr. 2020, www.cnn.com/2020/04/26/us/southern-california-beaches-coronavirus-heat/index.html.
Chavez, Nicole, and Dominic Torres. “These Workers Lost Their Jobs to the Coronavirus Pandemic. Here's How They Are Hustling to Survive.” CNN, Cable News Network, 26 Apr. 2020, www.cnn.com/2020/04/26/us/gig-workers-informal-jobs-coronavirus/index.html.
Hannon, Kerry. “How The Coronavirus Is Impacting Small Business Owners.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 27 Mar. 2020, www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2020/03/23/how-the-coronavirus-is-impacting-small-business-owners/#4071cba473ac
No comments:
Post a Comment