COVID-19 Weekly Digest (September 16, 2020)
If you are doing your best to cope with reality and you are living on the west coast of the United States, part of that reality is trying not to choke on smoky air. If you are in a fire-ravaged area, it is important to remember that wildfire smoke is extremely unhealthy and could aggravate any pre-existing conditions you might have. The CDC outlines some helpful guidelines to try and stay safe. Especially considering we are still in the middle of a pandemic!
As the world becomes more tech-centric, our behaviors have changed in ways that Emily Post could not have envisioned when she first compiled her guidance on etiquette. Fortunately for us, Alex Schmidt at the Wall Street Journal put together a witty list of 21 tech-related rules for this era. For example, he states “We’re pretty certain that watching a video on your smartphone, at full volume, without headphones, violates the Geneva Convention. If not, start revising, Geneva.” Another suggestion reminds us to “Use video doorbells to ward off porch pirates and document cute animals that wandered into your yard—not to spy on your only mildly sinful neighbors.”
If you need a bit of brightness in your day, here’s a farmer in Wisconsin who planted over 2 million sunflowers on his pick-your-own farm to give people respite from the pandemic.
CARES ACT UPDATE
Another stimulus bill?
The continuing impasse between Democrats and Republicans makes it unlikely that we’ll see another stimulus bill of the magnitude of the CARES Act. This summary from Cnet lays out the possible elements of a stimulus package and their status in various proposals. For example, the $300 per week authorized by President Trump’s Executive Order was only in place for six weeks and is already ending in some states. Democrats want a return to the generous $600 per week of the CARES Act, but Republicans want to slim the benefit to $300 per week.
Economic Impact Payments (aka Stimulus Checks)
The IRS is in the process of sending letters to approximately nine million people who were entitled to stimulus checks but did not receive a payment. These are largely people who did not file a 2018 or 2019 tax return, but who are otherwise eligible. In an effort to reach them, the IRS is sending letters that encourage them to use their online tool by October 15. Otherwise, their only option will be to wait until 2021 when they file their 2020 tax return.
Is there any good news out there???
While you might be dealing with many economic issues at the moment, according to CNN, there has been one bright spot in the US economy: the housing market. The stock market has been volatile, unemployment is still at a record high, and department stores such as Lord & Taylor and Neiman Marcus have filed for bankruptcy protection. The one area people have been turning to is the housing market, which makes sense if you consider that the most important thing in many people’s lives is trying to make sure they maintain a roof over their heads in the most uncertain time in a century.
LIVING WITH AND AFTER THE PANDEMIC
Work in the post-pandemic world
Companies that have been remote from the beginning have solved many of the problems we’ve seen in the last few months. Tech company GitLab has 1,300 employees spread across 65 countries and, as this article in Harvard Business Review demonstrates, remote work doesn’t mean spending all day in video calls. Because GitLab employees are scattered across time zones, developing methods to work asynchronously has been key to its success. Projects are broken into small tasks that can be completed by a responsible person and then reviewed by another person. Communicating internally via Slack means that everyone in the company has access to relevant information.
Prior to the pandemic, approximately 40% of workers in wealthy countries had jobs that could be performed remotely. While the trend for remote work had been on the rise for the last several decades, the pandemic forced a radical shift in work habits that will likely change how we work forever. Early reports suggest higher levels of happiness and productivity, but at a cost of long workdays. We can expect future changes to workplace cultures and government policies designed around having people work in a central office instead of separately and asynchronously.
Back to school
With many universities and colleges either on lockdown or restricted physical access, many students and their families are questioning exactly what their tuition is paying for. With at best a limited on-campus experience, students are wondering whether the cost of their education is really worth the big price tag. Some are asking for discounts or refunds. However, university budgets are also feeling a pinch from loss of state revenue, and need to keep certain fees in place to ensure that programs will continue once pandemic restrictions are lifted.
