What will the next wave look like?
it didn't go away. We see and hear it more in recent weeks — a few more people wearing protective face-masks, a cough at the back of the room, or from a few rows behind us in the arena... followed by a groan and a sniffle.
Hopefully - just a seasonal cold. We think that, even as many around us start asking about the availability of COVID tests, and pharmacists advertise boosters targeting the pandemic-producing virus and whatever variant strain that December of 2023 could bring. For many, it's already been brought; we may already know people in our circle of contacts that has been hit by the virus again in recent weeks. What's worse is that we may not know someone in that same circle hit by the highly transmissible virus.
Even though the threat of COVID remains from a health and wellness standpoint, an equal fear is growing from a social and economic standpoint. Will the mandates come again? School closures, social distancing, mandatory masks, forced isolation, business upheaval? Or will it be handled differently? Hoping that government leaders have learned from the first go-round that crippled economies and communities for two years is little more than that — a hope. Once again, the severity of the virus will dictate public health measures to reduce the spread.
So it's up to us.
One of the only positives in play as it seems the virus is taking another swing through our world, is that we've seen it before. And no matter what your stance on COVID was, there's no denying the disruption and devastation it can cause. Pre-planning and precautions in the coming weeks can hopefully stop the spread in the coming months. No one is saying we all have to wear masks and disinfect after touching every surface ... but they might be saying that in the future, if we don't at least pay attention right now.
