The Corona Solution

In our times it's difficult to believe that the best solution the United States government can offer its citizens for the corona virus is an indefinite period of confinement. It's truly indefinite, as the discovery and manufacture of an effective vaccine can be a long way off. 

Meanwhile, as the economy tanks, essentially one life threatening solution has been chosen to treat another. Imagine, if the pandemic continues with no end in sight for months and months. There's a real concern that large populations of people will be unable to afford the basics of life, even with the nominal support which the government will provide. Remember, government support in the United States is rarely, if ever, contemplated to return a citizen to even a lower middle class standard of living. To entirely rely on it, one must brace oneself for poverty.

This is a scenario which can lead to quandaries like, "Will it be food or medicine?"; "Two meals today or one?" In short, which serious consequence to suffer just to get by.

Even if people have been promised their jobs back when the tide blows over, whose to say that all the businesses will be in a position to reopen when all's in the clear? The longer the shutdowns linger the worse the situation potentially gets.

However, imagine a solution which does not depend on the immediate discovery of an effective vaccine and gets most people back to normative life; a true "rubber meets the road" solution. I won't claim that it's perfect. But I think it can deal with over 80% of the problems caused by the massive level of quarantines and shutdowns. 

Regardless of what is available to the public today, we do have the technology to produce effective masks and gloves. OK. I understand that due to a shortage, they're being limited to hospitals and healthcare settings. Yet, the fact that they're present even in limited supply indicates that with the right support they can be mass produced.

My suggestion is that before things spin too far out of control that the Federal government support the manufacturers of such equipment with huge grants, contracts and in other ways, to start mass production. The contemplated goal would be for everyone to wear health department approved gloves and masks in public venues. This way even "non-essential" businesses can reopen and people can move about freely.

It may take a couple of months to get the solution into full gear. So for a couple of months, the government should continue its support programs to hold down the fort as best as possible. During this time the production of approved masks and gloves should ramp up swiftly and in full swing. Then on the third month, together with a government support check, each person should receive a full month's supply of approved gloves and masks. This way there's both some money in their pockets and the ability to move about freely. The following month, there should be another delivery month supply of gloves and masks. Then in the following months, they should be offered at a government subsidized rate to guarantee affordability. This way the economy can resurrect!    

Even if this process takes a few months, at least the populace can enjoy the solace that there's an end in sight. With a definite short term end in sight, businesses can negotiate with suppliers and creditors, people can negotiate debts and payment plans, etc.  Everyone can more easily prepare for the return to normal. This relieves a lot of socioeconomic pressure.

Of course, there will be kinks to work out, like when someone needs to show his or her face for proper ID purposes or under what circumstances is an office setting deemed safe for workers to remove their masks and gloves. However, these are protocols which expert and creative minds can grapple with and arrive at solutions for. It's not really difficult to do. I could think of a few possibilities myself.

Here are some examples for various industries to consider:

In an office setting, upon arrival the body temperature of staff members can be briefly taken. Then they enter a designated area where their gloves and masks are disposed of into trash bins similar to what hospitals use to dispose of used syringes or the like.  They immediately wash their hands and face with disinfectant soap and then for extra measure wipe their hands and exposed body parts with sanitized wipes. As often as possible, meetings with outside parties are conducted via media, like Zoom or Skype. Then right before leaving for the day, the staff members put on fresh sets of gloves and masks. 

In businesses designed for the public to move about freely, like shopping centers or malls, its possible that employees will need to wear gloves and masks during the duration of the workday. But it still beats being unemployed.    

  

Also, shoe store industry may need to develop a disposable sock, similar to the approved gloves, for customers to wear when trying on shoes. 

The hair salon industry may need to treat scissors in special solutions between customers and may need to develop ways of ensuring that shaving equipment is safe. 

The difficulty comes with the restaurant industry. Eating out is a central past time of all urban settings. Even in the midst of the workday, people rely on the restaurant industry to provide then with something more than just food, a miniature feeling of vacation. This industry may require a greater level of ingenuity to return to its former level. In the meanwhile, they can offer take out and deliveries. However, I am well aware that much of the magic of a restaurant is in the ambiance, which is something which is virtually irreplaceable.

Though the proposed solution requires the government to invest in massive resources, I think it's still a lot cheaper than the alternative; a tanked economy. Plus, whose to say that this virus is the last one which will sweep over the globe in the near future. The efforts put in place now can boost the national readiness for potential pandemics in the future. In a sense, it's a long term investment.

This pandemic has exposed the weak underbelly of our national readiness. I remember driving by a firehouse in Philadelphia within five years of 911. The firemen were collecting alms at a nearby traffic light just to keep their firehouse open. Apparently, whatever municipal budget they relied on, just wasn't cutting it. I thought to myself, "Imagine if New York City had treated their fire departments this way in the years leading up to 911. The city would not have had the capacity to effectively mobilize their fire department."

We manage to have an army which can be mobilized almost instantly to deal with problems abroad, yet internally we seem to have no equivalent institution. Our hospital systems are almost entirely built around the profit model expected of a capitalistic economy. Under such a model, there's little room to stretch to accommodate a sudden surge of demand. We need the ability to respond to internal emergencies independent of capitalistic concerns just as we have the ability to do so for external emergencies.

Please share this article around. Hopefully, with enough sharing it will reach the right people who can actually implement either these solutions or something similar.

 

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