#coronavirus #COVID19 #FlattenTheCurve #GeorgiaEconomy #ReopeningEconomy
Georgia was one of the first states to begin reopening its economy after the coronavirus pandemic forced many businesses and other institutions to close for several weeks.
As a result of the closing, many jobs were lost.
Michael E. Kanell, business reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, explored the business reopening in a May 20, 2020, article.
“While precise data is elusive, the tracking of cellphones and company software sketches a picture of an Atlanta rebound that is patchy and uneven,” Kanell quotes Dallin Hatch, a spokesman for California-based Womply, which sells software for managing small business.
Though many businesses were allowed to reopen, about 25 percent of those allowed to reopen remained closed initially, Kanell attributes to Womply data.
“Many businesses owners are concerned about the danger the coronavirus poses to their workers and customers,” writes Kanell. “Some said they don’t plan to open anytime soon, even though they are worried about how they will pay expenses,” Kanell writes.
Leslie Kuban, an Atlanta-based franchising consultant, told Kanell that many businesses are “guessing as they go along. … Those businesses that were cash poor didn’t make it (a decade ago),” Kanelll quotes Kuban.
It’s a really tough decision for a business owner. Obviously, he or she wants to stay in business. Many want to keep as many of their employees as possible. At the same time, they don’t want those employees, or their customers, getting the virus. Though many who test positive for it don’t have symptoms, others get very ill. Some die from it. The death toll surpassed 100,000 nationally this past week.
These business owners feel the push and pull both as a human being and as a businessperson. Sick customers and workers who are able to trace their contracting of the disease to a business location create liability issues for the business, though some places are working on legislation to mitigate that liability.
At the same time, those who would patronize certain businesses may not feel safe going out and about. One can take precautions, like wearing a mask that covers one’s mouth and nose, and keeping a good distance away from other people.
Sometimes, keeping distance is not easy, particularly when, say, getting a haircut or visiting a doctor’s office. The mask prevents the wearer, who may not know whether he or she is infected, from spreading it to others. Remember, it does not necessarily prevent the wearer from contracting it from someone who is infected.
So how do you feel about gradual openings? Are you taking precautions? Many, particularly over the Memorial Day weekend, were out and about at beaches and restaurants as if there were nothing to fear.
It’s always best to take it slowly, take necessary precautions and do only what you need to do. Avoid large crowds for the time being.
Meanwhile, this is also a good time to take stock of your personal situation. Do you have a job to go back to? Is your job worth going back to? Might you be looking for a different way to make a living?
There are many vehicles out there that allow people, regardless of education, experience or background, to earn money without having a traditional job. It involves work, of course, but it gives you the option of working from home, should you get locked down.
Want to check out one of the best such vehicles? Message me.
Meanwhile, stay safe. Help keep others safe. We have no idea what this virus will do next, but it’s best not to gather en masse and give it a golden opportunity to spread.
Give yourself, and others, the very best chance to escape it. Getting sick, or dying, is not what ANYONE wants.
Peter