What can we do? What we can't do...

"I don't know if our government will be smarter in the future, but individually, most of us are. Most of us know how to stay safer. Most of us know what to do. We are prepared to live with this new virus. We just want our lives and livelihoods back. Not tomorrow - today."  

"These are the days my friend, oh will they ever end...". Okay - that is not how the song goes. But many feel this way right now. These days, these COVID days. Many of us are trying to figure out how to live in these days of SD (social distancing), isolation, unemployment, shortages, testing, blah, blah, blah. It is hard to enjoy these lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer, when the entire world seems to be upside down.

I starting trying to think about that glass full of water again. How to look at things like the glass is half full. Since we are bombarded with all kinds of things which we can't do, I started thinking what we CAN still do. Even though we are "technically" still in a "stay at home" mode, we can still leave our homes. We can go for walks around the neighborhood, we can go to the store, heck, we can even go for a ride if we want to. I know, I know - these are liberties and rights we should not need to ask to have. But these are very different times.

Getting back to work. With the unemployment rate north of 20% right now, the number one objective of our leaders (an objective which should be tied for first with keeping us safe), is getting businesses opened back up. Even if businesses are opened back up with diminished hours and limited capacity due to safety concerns, it is a start. Many businesses right now are begging, pleading, for people to use their services or buy their goods. Maybe if it is only curbside or delivery, it is something. We need to fix that, so it is much more than just "something." Otherwise, many more small businesses might become history.

However - the biggest problem we have right now (as far as employment is concerned), is our meat packing plants. While at work, employees are way too close to each other. Practically zero social distancing. While not at work, many of the employees, especially immigrant employees, live in factory subsidized housing. Again, they are way too close to each other.

Many houses are also multi-generational. Because we have not yet figured this out, how to make these facilities safe on or off campus, one by one, they are shutting down. That being said, what is next up? Meat shortages. Even though this country has plenty of produce and livestock, we will not be able to process it.

The biggest problem we have right now (NOT as far as employment is concerned), is our care facilities which take care of our older loved ones. Currently, many care facilities are like death traps. We have not been able to figure out how to keep this virus out of our facilities, and when an 80+ year old catches it, the results are often not good. How bad is it? Over half of the fatalities we have had in Minnesota have happened in care facilities. Short of putting each resident in a total isolation ward, we don't yet know how to protect these fragile people. 

All this being said, we will get through this thing. We will also get through the now dreaded "second wave". Even though the Governor told us that up to 70% of us will eventually get this crap, we will get through it. We may have been caught flat footed during this first wave, but hopefully we are better and smarter when the second wave hits.

I don't know if our government will be smarter in the future, but individually, most of us are. Most of us know how to stay safer. Most of us know what to do. We are prepared to live with this new virus. We just want our lives and livelihoods back. Not tomorrow - today.