Shutdown, Again
The words no one wanted to hear: Shutdown… again.
People are struggling, businesses are fighting to survive, and everyone is exhausted of trying to find silver linings and making the best of an extremely challenging situation. However, the reality of this shutdown is that if we want businesses and residents to adhere to these new guidelines, the federal government needs to step up and provide substantive relief to help keep our families and our communities afloat.
Let us put everything into perspective for a moment. Undoubtedly, many of us are taking every precaution to stop the spread of the virus. Most businesses are following the CDC and state guidelines to ensure that they operate in a safe capacity while residents are, mostly, wearing masks when they are out in public to protect each other from potential further spread. As a community over the summer and into the fall, we were able to make it work. It was far from ideal, but it was working.
As the winter approached, and the positivity rate climbed, Governor Wolf tightened restrictions to try and stop the spread. However, unlike the last shutdown, there is no promise of small business loans or direct payment to residents who are no longer working (again). To add complexity to the challenge, it is one of the most financially challenging times of the year for most families, and businesses are hoping to make up losses from earlier in the year. With all of this in mind, the shutdown request becomes even more difficult to reconcile in a person’s mind.
Undoubtedly, this is a serious moment in this pandemic. Hospitals are being stretched to capacity, we need to bring the positivity rate back down, and we need people to continue to follow the CDC guidelines. However, people need to know that they will be secure in their future. That their needs will be met, and their families and businesses will not be left to fend for themselves because we shutdown. You cannot ask people to sacrifice everything in their lives without offering them safety and security in return.
The current deal offered by the federal government is untenable. The federal government has had months to negotiate a new deal which addresses protections from evictions, student loan relief, state and local aide for vaccine distribution and PPE, small business loans, and increased unemployment support to ensure residents and businesses can survive another shutdown and all of which we need. To date, they do not have a plan or a deal (though, they continue to squabble about it).
We need real leadership real soon, so that residents and business owners can believe that they will be secure in their future and their needs. Without providing that level of security for people, we will never slow the spread because people will risk everything to keep their livelihood and their families secure. I encourage everyone to continue to follow the guidelines and to participate in protecting our residents and our community from COVID-19. I also encourage people to reach out to their members of congress to fight for what we need to ensure that we all get through this shutdown. Your voice matters. It will make a difference.
I remain hopeful that together, as a community, we can fight through this challenge. That we can stand for one another and find new ways to help our friends, our businesses, and our families through this moment. We are all angry, frustrated, depressed, exhausted, and drained. You are not alone. Your community is fighting, every day, alongside you to make sure that when we can fully re-emerge, we can celebrate as one. Help each other if you are able, offer what you can, and please speak out to your federal representatives to help us all get through this dark winter.