March 19, 2020 will be a day we won’t forget anytime soon. It’s literally the day the Earth Stood Still for many Californians. Surreal doesn’t adequately describe this moment in time for most of us.
To know how we got here, we need to focus on the path that led us here, that will be our salvation going forward. We all heard the news reports a few weeks ago about a virus that was hitting Wuhan, China and spreading throughout the region. It went from Asia to Europe and now it’s hit our own back yard.
Things got real for most of us once the NBA suspended their season, then followed by Major League Baseball, the NHL and other sports franchises. Then, music festivals and tours of our favorite bands began to cancel from coast-to-coast and around the world. In what seems like a blink of an eye, we went from Social Distortion to Social Distancing and from bend it like Beckham to bend the curve. Once Disneyland shut down operations and some of our star athletes contracted the disease, we all took a collective breath. It’s become a new world to say the least.
Sadly, the photos coming out or all parts of the world are heartbreaking, especially those coming out of Italy. The Italians recently took over the highest mortality rate on the planet. On the flip side, China is now reporting a decrease in new infection cases, why countries like South Korea lead the path on testing .
Yesterday, Governor Gavin Newsom ordered its nearly 40 million residents to stay home to prevent the spread of Covid-19 (Coronavirus). The “Stay At Home” Order was the first such statewide mandatory restriction issued in the United States to help combat the outbreak; it went into effect last night at midnight. The Order includes exemptions for essential services such as public safety, medical care, gas stations, grocery stores, pharmacy’s, restaurants (take out or delivery), financial institutions and other critical services.
The announcement followed a “Safer at Home” Order issued by the city of Los Angeles earlier last night. Additionally, the city of San Francisco issued its own “Shelter In Place” Order earlier this week.
Another message that’s been relayed by just about everyone in every state, and at the Federal level, please refrain from hoarding food or supplies. Agencies across the spectrum have insured the public that the food supply is not impacted and grocery stores are being re-stocked daily. The challenge is when people rush in to buy a 3 month’s supply of food and other goods for a family of 10. We have been asked to NOT do that. We’ve all seen it on the news, or in person, so this is happening. PLEASE do not do that, be part of the solution and NOT the challenge.
Truth-be-told, this Order will adversely impact many of us. Especially those in the restaurant and other service industries. It will cause layoffs in some sectors, and restaurant owners may find themselves with an overabundance of product that they can’t sell; some may not survive this crisis. So what’s being done? For restaurant owners, the Feds are stepping in to help with SBA loans. As for the rest of us, the state of California Employment Development Department (EDD) has assured us they are prepared to take in the influx of unemployment claims. That’s the plan, the reality we will live with is yet to be determined.
With all the issues going on on various level, the Feds announced today that the IRS would defer the tax filing deadline from April 15th to July 15h.
For Filing An Unemployment Claim and Other Useful Information
For Small Business Loans and Other Useful Information
SEE THE GOVERNOR’S ANNOUNCEMENT
For Information on Covid-19 from
The State of California
For Information on Covid-19 from
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
For Information on Covid-19 from
The World Health Organization
This is a very trying time for all of us, and Newsom is right. This is a defining moment in time for us as a people. This Order is a necessary means to combat the disease. It’s something we need to do to get our collective arms around this pandemic to slow its growth and impact on our society.
The bottom line is this disease is a threat to our way of life. This disease does not discriminate; it doesn’t care if you’re black or white, young or old, male or female, gay or straight, republican or democrat, it’s an equal opportunity Reaper.
As for playing the blame game, we can save that for another day, much, much later. For now we need to come together and help ourselves, our family, friends, neighbors and fellow human beings and our fury friends get through today, then tomorrow; then the day after that and the day after that. Once we get in a good place, we can revisit what happened to try to make sense of it so it doesn’t happen again, or at minimum… have a better plan just in case this happens again, God forbid. Honestly, the best thing to do today is stay informed, follow the advice from health professionals (from the links provided); follow legit news outlets and health professionals …. and, stay calm.
What else should we be doing? Support your local businesses and order food for delivery when you can. Also, many artists are doing online performances to help with entertainment. PLEASE, go to their online stores and buy their merchandise. We have to help each other every way we can to get to tomorrow.
AND WASH YOUR HANDS
In the end, the true measurement of our character as a people will manifest itself once we show how we handle ourselves in this time of adversity. History will say we got through this together. Stay safe and stay informed.
