The world has been changing ever since it begain to spin around the sun. As decades flashed by, humans and modern vegetation began to take root and societies flourished.Towns became bigger and technology more complex. Throughout this time, wars have been fought and plagues have obliterated the population. It only makes sense that time would continue to pass and life would continue to change.
As the world goes into October of 2020, we are all a little terrified to see what extreme oddity is about to take place. We have seen unyielding fires, political unrest, and - probably the most defining event of 2020 - a national pandemic. The world has been shaken up and, when the dust settled, nothing would be the same. While the pandemic is a national nemisis, it is one that is so excessive that trying to cover the damage in one article is near impossible. That being said, in this particular piece we will be covering the social, economic, and political implications specifically in the state of Colorado.
COVID-19 has thrown a wrench in the way that society operates, especially with how people interact with each other. A couple of years ago, the continuous slathering of disinfectant on your hands would be considered excessive. Now, that particular practice is considered safe and is highly recommended.Wearing masks is a new normal and 6 feet distance is recommended. People are social creatures, so with these new hightened restrictions, life is bound to change.
To stop the spread, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends following these procautionary measures:
With all of these new recommendations, normal processes have changed vastly. Less people are having big gatherings, which limits people seeing each other. There is a sense of separation between people who used to be so close. Many people have found themselves more prone to depression due to the limited contact and the recommendation of staying in when you can. While many people picked up new hobbies to entertain themselves during the stay-at-home mandate, people are desperately longing for the human contact that they had before the outbreak. Many people with family that no longer live at home have potentially not seen their loved ones since March. The social implications that have come to pass because of the virus have been immeasurable and has changed society forever.
With all of the social changes, economic changes were close to follow. As more people stay at home and find activities that are safe to do, less people are spending money. Eateries and small, local businesses are really feeling the loss. According to USA Today, there is at least 35 popular restaurants that are closing their doors due to the virus. Can you even imagine the sheer amount of mom-and-pop shops that have no way to combat the impact? While the government did offer monetary aid to companies, there is only so much that can be done without constant patronage. Many companies have turned belly up, which shakes to economy even more.
COVID-19 also brought around a job scarcity that shocked many people. Companies - in an effort to minimize the virus' impact - cut jobs or hours. While very understandable, the broad public have been effected deeply. Less income usually leads to less reckless spending. People still have all the bills that they need to pay, and sometimes can they cannot even make those payments. This last July, CPR was stating that homelessness in Colorado will jump considerably. They even say that "landlords have filed more than 800 eviction cases since June 1," and eviction rates will probably grow even more so.
The economy has been interesting since the virus has been in the main news forms. According to Chatham House, "Among the many unusual features of the pandemic-induced downturn is the disconnect between depressed real economies and buoyant financial markets. This is particularly evident in the US, where output fell 9.5% in the second quarter while the S&P 500 index rose by one-fifth."
With social and economic implications in regard to the virus, I would be surprised if there was not political implications as well. Almost everything has a political side to it anymore, so way should a pandemic be any different? According to Russel Sage, "how local, state, and federal governments responded to the pandemic may influence elections, from who engages politically, who registers to vote, who votes, or how they vote." The pandemic has some key components that make it a hot topic.
Another part of the politcal implications is the COVID-19 monetary relief fund. The United States government gave economic assisstance through the CARE Act to small businesses, families, and such. The United States Department of the Treasury states that "the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was passed by Congress with overwhelming, bipartisan support and signed into law by President Trump on March 27th, 2020. This over $2 trillion economic relief package delivers on the Trump Administration’s commitment to protecting the American people from the public health and economic impacts of COVID-19." This act was a huge move politically, and set the tone of how the government would react to the pandemic.
COVID-19 has vastly changed the world. It has effected the world on all the different levels. While we took a brief look into some of the social, economic, and political implications due to the virus, there are many that we have not looked at in the article. We also dived into a sectioned off region, Colorado, which has reacted completely different from the rest of the world, and even differ from the rest of the United Stated. That being said, this article is mainly based off of my researched understandings. With 2020 coming to a close, we are all a little worried of the next development in this crazy year. Even with all of this, the world continues to turn.