More businesses to open Monday May 11 - Your experiences

[writerwife]

I'm continuing for a while to do just as I have been doing for the past few months. Minimal. I've gotten groceries a few times and some dirt and had a pick up at Lowe's (the employee reached under the sneeze shield and actually took my phone out of my hand when I was showing her the barcode) .

You'll not know if all went ok or not for a few weeks in most cases.
I have a cousin, her husband and 2 grand daughter's with the Covid up in Ct right now and whether she makes it or not is still up in the air. She's just been given the plasma treatment. Hopefully it will work but, for myself, it's not worth shopping for those new shoes.

[EscAlaMike]

Originally Posted by AU HSV

Anyone wearing masks and practicing social distancing?
If not then they are putting others at risk.

Life is inherently risky and has a 100% death rate. Humans have always been germ factories.

If you don't like it, you are certainly free to stay home.

[guinb]

Originally Posted by FSUMike

If you don't like it, you are certainly free to stay home.

This response, which I've heard several times, isn't true. People are not free to stay home when their employer forces them back to work and the government threatens to take away their unemployment benefits if they refuse. We should recognize that not everybody has the privilege of choosing to stay home, be considerate, and not rush this thing.

[AU HSV]

Originally Posted by FSUMike

Life is inherently risky and has a 100% death rate. Humans have always been germ factories.

If you don't like it, you are certainly free to stay home.

And most likely will see something like this due to selfish behavior.
Not taking precautions to avoid spreading deadly diseases has no defense.


https://www.al.com/news/2020/05/mont...s-hotspot.html

[MisterEd51]

Originally Posted by guinb

This response, which I've heard several times, isn't true. People are not free to stay home when their employer forces them back to work and the government threatens to take away their unemployment benefits if they refuse. We should recognize that not everybody has the privilege of choosing to stay home, be considerate, and not rush this thing.

Sure people are free to not go back to work. It is all a matter of priorities. Of course if too many people do this the companies will just go under leaving no jobs for anyone. Also, if too many people collect unemployment those funds will eventually run out. The pot of money Alabama has for unemployment is only so large.

I have heard the words "not rush this thing" over and over again. The current unemployment rate is 14% and may be as much as 20% the next time they make an announcement. If the economy stays shutdown as long as some people want the unemployment rate could easily be 25-30%. That would put us in the worst depression in U.S. history.

Unemployment rate could hit 25%, rivaling Great Depression, Goldman Sachs predicts
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/unemplo...achs-predictse

The reality is that nobody knows what the best rate to reopen is. Open too quickly may risk more COVID-19 exposure. Open too slowly will bankrupt more and more companies. Since this a no win situation the best we can do is move forward the best we can and save as much of the economy as possible.

[RocketDawg]

I needed to go by Home Depot this morning, North Parkway location.

I was the only customer I saw that was wearing a mask. And I only saw one or two employees with masks on. They probably shouldn't let anyone in without a mask, but the certainly should require employees to wear one. All stores that have employees that interact with the public should require the employees to mask up. It's not that hard to do.

I'm not going back there.

[harry chickpea]

Originally Posted by MisterEd51

Sure people are free to not go back to work. It is all a matter of priorities. Of course if too many people do this the companies will just go under leaving no jobs for anyone. Also, if too many people collect unemployment those funds will eventually run out. The pot of money Alabama has for unemployment is only so large.

I have heard the words "not rush this thing" over and over again. The current unemployment rate is 14% and may be as much as 20% the next time they make an announcement. If the economy stays shutdown as long as some people want the unemployment rate could easily be 25-30%. That would put us in the worst depression in U.S. history.

Unemployment rate could hit 25%, rivaling Great Depression, Goldman Sachs predicts
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/unemplo...achs-predictse

The reality is that nobody knows what the best rate to reopen is. Open too quickly may risk more COVID-19 exposure. Open too slowly will bankrupt more and more companies. Since this a no win situation the best we can do is move forward the best we can and save as much of the economy as possible.

In a few words, that eloquently summarizes the major dilemma. There is no perfect reopening timing or staging.

Some businesses will never recover, some will have to adjust drastically. What we can hope is that the medical community and scientists are pedaling as fast as they can and ignoring the politics and whinging. IF... some of the new protocols for treatment are even 20% effective, that is a big number of deaths avoided. Expecting a 100% cure is unrealistic, especially over a short time frame. Expecting a 60% improvement on morbidity seems possible - given a little time. Medically, delaying openings saves lives. Economics-wise, delaying openings destroys financial lives.

The death of many businesses will be hard but hardly life-threatening. A big difference between now and the 1918 pandemic is that back then much of the economy was "real" and required for a basic survival. Much of the country was small farms, the industries were mostly required for building infrastructure, obtaining and processing foodstuffs, creating clothing and shelter. Compare that economy with one based increasingly on discretionary consumer spending on items that have no relation to survival. Theatres and stadiums can close and survival is not threatened. Travel is largely a luxury these days, as is eating out. Disneyland is not critical infrastructure. People starving in the streets with no options, no possessions, no resources of any kind is less of an issue today than back then, even though some may get stuck in that for a while.

The economy will open up, that is certain. There will be more deaths, that is certain. As individuals, the best we can do is to try to be socially responsible and watch out for others as well as our own wants and needs. That is part of living ethically in a relatively functional society.

[OmarLittle]

Originally Posted by harry chickpea

As individuals, the best we can do is to try to be socially responsible and watch out for others as well as our own wants and needs. That is part of living ethically in a relatively functional society.

Yes!

[jewel104]

Our Bishop stated the following in a letter to our church rectors yesterday, "As I write this, new cases of COVID-19 are increasing in Alabama, and May 26 saw one of the highest single day increases to date" and our face-to-face worship is still discontinued and will be into July.