For those of us who are still employed and staying healthy, the coronavirus crisis has been an inconvenience at worst.
True, there’s the psychological terror that comes with constant uncertainty, global disruption, concern for the health of loved ones, and the dire outlook perpetrated by a never-ending stream of apocalyptic headlines.
For many of us, this moment in the history of our world has been a big teaching moment, and in some respects, a precious opportunity, writes Business Report Editor Stephanie Riegel in her new opinion piece.
We’ve learned how to adapt and innovate in our workplaces, doing new things we didn’t think possible as recently as LSU’s national championship win over Clemson in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in January.
But it’s important to remember that we’re the lucky ones, Riegel writes, however anxious and cooped up we may feel. Within our own communities, the victims of this virus and the economic shutdown it has necessitated are very real, suffering greatly and growing exponentially by the day. For them, this indefinite shutdown and adaptation to a “new normal” is a special kind of hell that will leave deep and lasting scars.
Even before the crisis, when the stock market was soaring to dizzying heights and the economy was legitimately strong, the unemployment rate in Louisiana—the third-poorest state in the nation—was more than a percentage point higher than that of the country as a whole.
Even once we flatten the curve, Louisiana’s people will still be among the most vulnerable to the disease and economic fallout, and we’ll have fewer resources than ever to help address the systemic, underlying problems that created those conditions in the first place, Riegel writes.
Read Riegel’s full column about the inequities in Louisiana highlighted by the pandemic. Send comments to editor@businessreport.com.
