When you live in forced isolation in an effort to flatten the COVID-19 curve, life can get pretty parochial.
Living life in a quiet routine of wake up, get to work, finish work, watch TV and then do it again the next day has a tendency to mask what’s happening in the world of isolation around us, writes Business Report Executive Editor JR Ball in a new opinion piece.
Yes, it’s stunning to see the escalating number of positive cases. Yes, reading or watching the news is distressing. Yes, it’s concerning to see pretty much every retail store in town temporarily—allegedly—shuttered. Yes, it’s clear anyone associated with a restaurant has some very real financial troubles. And, yes, it’s pretty obvious that when Baton Rouge is a ghost town and that your only ability to connect to the outside world is through social media or Zoom that other businesses must surely be hurting.
But, this isn’t just about restaurants and retail shops and the plight of their workers. Almost every facet—save grocery stores and a handful of others—of the Baton Rouge economy is hurting and in need of a financial lifeline, writes Ball.
Businesses aren’t just hibernating. They are closing down. Call it a layoff or a furlough if you like, but a lot of these workers will never get their old job back.
Which makes me wonder: Is the cure for keeping the coronavirus in semi-check worse than the disease? Make no mistake, public health absolutely must come first, and if we’re going to react, let’s overreact. But it’s also fair to take a step back and ask: Is our present course still the best course? Read Ball’s full column about the Baton Rouge economy. Send comments to editor@businessreport.com.
