April showers bring May flowers, so the saying goes. But what will May bring this year?
For most, it promises another exhausting 31 days of confusion, hesitation, illness and frustration. Absent the novelty that compelled duty-bound individuals to comply with health precautions and which knit communities in unity for much of March and April, the country enters a new month wearied and impatient.
But with the second mile beckoning from around the corner, this is not the time to quit the race.
Utah’s quarantine restrictions ease a bit today, allowing certain businesses to resume operations so long as they observe public health guidelines. It is a necessary measure to jump-start an economy rocked by global disruptions of sales, supply chains and consumer confidence. Other locales across the country also are flirting with relaxed restrictions.
The trick, as Utah economist Natalie Gochnour described this week in a column for the Deseret News, is to recover in a gradual yet steady trajectory while absolutely avoiding a “W” shape, in which a resurgence of the virus tanks the economy just as it’s showing improvement.
That requires caution and patience. It also means running with only a few cylinders firing — what The Economist calls the “90% economy.”
Such an economic state is, as The Economist puts it, “miserable,” but it’s “better than a severe lockdown.” But the longer it takes to recover the remaining 10%, the more scarring this country will endure. Firms go under, unemployment rises, gross domestic product decreases and America suffers.
The good news is reaching 100% is largely an outcome you — and we — get to choose.
Until a surefire method of virus control is available — say, a vaccine with a high success rate — the nation needs to build confidence. About a third of Americans report being uncomfortable visiting a mall once it opens up. Securing confidence requires an application of the philosophy author Joseph Grenny shared with the Deseret News earlier this week — “Be safe. Feel safe.”
The test for Utah starts today. It is easier to handle the extremes of home-bound quarantine then it is to responsibly venture out. Moderation is always harder to sustain.
Consider the ways in which people try — and often fail — to sustain temperate changes. White-knuckling through an extreme fad diet for a few weeks is doable. Maintain healthy habits for the long-haul is difficult.
Utah’s economic recovery will happen in direct proportion to the behavioral discipline Utahns are able to sustain during the orange phase of this pandemic. If wearing a mask doesn’t become fashionable, social distancing doesn’t prove sustainable and if residents are unable to provide care for the most vulnerable, the battle is lost.
A wise religious leader once remarked, “True character is the ability to carry out a goal long after the mood in which it was created has passed.” Defeating a virus and recreating an economy cannot be achieved with fits and starts. It will require the disciplined, sustained efforts of all.
The first few days of May ought to feel liberating after the gloomy confinement of the coronavirus showers endured in April. Ensuring the economic May flowers grow will depend on the character the people of Utah display — starting today.
"Opinion" - Google News
May 01, 2020 at 07:12PM
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Opinion: Are Utahns ready for whatever May brings? - Deseret News
"Opinion" - Google News
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