It feels disloyal to not patronize local businesses.
But do it anyway.
And when this health crisis is over, double your loyalty.
The crazy thing about viruses like the COVID-19 is that they can bounce off some, while infecting others, including those who can least withstand them.
If you love your neighbor, you’ll respect the federal government’s requests to not gather in groups of more than 10, to curtail all social activities and, if possible, to work and study from home for the next couple of weeks.
It’s in the DNA of Americans, especially, to think we could somehow escape this coronavirus. We were sure it wouldn’t make its way halfway around the world, or even if it did, its effects would be minimal.
President Donald Trump helped foster such bravado, not that we needed it, and was complicit in keeping the public in the dark of its danger and magnitude.
Health professionals knew differently. Unfortunately, their calls for preparation went unheeded.
On Monday, the president admitted the COVID-19 “is not under control,” and that extreme measures are needed to save lives.
THE JOKE around the Register was that Southeast Kansas is so isolated that we already practice self-quarantine.
That myth was busted Saturday when we learned of a verified case in nearby Franklin County.
Then on Monday afternoon, Rebecca Johnson, director of the Southeast Kansas Multi-County Health Department, advised that businesses that “are able” should close their doors, beginning today.
Johnson recommended that schools, bars, factories and churches remain closed until at least Sunday and for other businesses to practice social distancing by keeping employees a safe distance apart and ascertain they are healthy before reporting for work.
Such advice throws the gravity of the issue in sharper relief. There’s not many with a safety net strong enough to weather such inactivity.
The global economic toll from stalling the workforce will be massive.
In his press conference Monday, President Trump acknowledged we are headed for a recession.
Because this is not 2008’s banking crisis with oversold mortgages, economists say we can minimize a recession’s effects if we remain faithful consumers.
