One More Example
We went out to eat at a chain restaurant about a month ago, back when you could do that. The waitress was a college student, who told us this was her last night at work…she had gotten a job as a server at a locally-owned restaurant downtown and was looking forward to what she saw as a better opportunity. The restaurant was not very busy on this particular weeknight so we chatted a bit more; she came to school here from out of state and was working extra shifts to help pay for a college choir trip overseas later this spring, one of those trips the group takes every four years to make sure everyone gets to have one of those major experiences.
Less than a week later, all restaurants in the state were closed to sit-down dining. By my guess, she got to work one, maybe two, nights before her hours no doubt were cut to nothing. That overseas trip was cancelled, and presumably some of the money already paid for deposits won’t be refunded. She’s probably back to school through distance learning, but without the part-time jobs that helped pay for tuition…or room and board.
At a time when the numbers of those sick and dying keep increasing, her story is obviously not as serious as some others. But it’s far more common, and one more example of the economic and mental toll the coronavirus is taking on people.
Safety first, to be sure. But while some businesses can recoup sales, because we’ll still buy that car or new furniture, just a little later on…those waitress shifts are lost, and we’re not going to eat out enough in the first couple of months when we’re able to make up for that lost revenue. That’s why clear heads and straight thinking are needed now for planning, with an eye toward reopening the state as soon as possible. There’s enough time and brainpower to focus both on keeping people healthy and keeping people employed…because they are interrelated, and are both needed now and going forward.
