3/12/20 Michael Zverevs PD7

3/12/2020 - Blog
Michael Zverev
                                            Period 7
    What are the updates around the world/community regarding the virus?

        Here are some up-to-date facts: 

Coronavirus cases top 421,000 worldwide

Worldwide restrictions: Nearly a third of the world’s population, 2.5 billion people, are under coronavirus-related movement restrictions. New Zealand declares a state of emergency.

US sees deadliest day: At least 163 people died Tuesday, bringing the US death toll past 700, as the WHO warned the country could be the next epicenter of the virus.

Olympics postponed: The 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo will be delayed for about a year.

Lockdown lifted: China's Hubei province, ground zero for the pandemic, plans to lift nearly all lockdown restrictions today.

U.S Congress unlikely to give stimulus deal final approval Tuesday and talks likely to slip into Wednesday. 

Leaders in Congress and the Trump administration have been working for days to pass as quickly as possible a roughly $2 trillion economic stimulus package, which would include direct payments to taxpayers among hundreds of billions of dollars in other stimulus measures, to attempt to restore the markets.

What is it like working from home?

Personally I enjoy working from home. I always valued the ability to schedule my studies around times that are convenient for me. I find myself being more productive (largely in part to counteract boredom) whilst still enjoying the free time that i find available to me. It seems as though all the teachers are still heavily involved with the class, via remote learning tools such as zoom, allowing them to stay updated and communicate with students to make sure we are up to date on assignments and due dates. I must say, however, that I have picked up reading more often in the last few days. It really is of interest to me to learn about how the world handles the pandemic, and how it has ripple effects on society and the economy. Working from home has truly allowed me to properly balance school work whilst working on hobbies that I always struggled to find time for.

Your own personal feelings and thoughts about what is happening right now.

Early reports out of China made it seem like the end of the world. Unfortunately, due to the communist government's tight control of information in China, verifying mortality rates, infection rates, and degree of spread, is very difficult. Because it is striking elderly populations harder, this is probably not the next SARS, or Ebola. It is more like the seasonal flu and cold - but more deadly.

My fear is that shutting down too much travel and commerce will lead to shortages of supplies - supplies needed to keep our health care system working properly. As long as the mortality rate of younger healthy people remains very low - like the seasonal flu - then the rest of society should be able to get on with business.

Large-scale quarantines, travel restrictions, and social-distancing measures drive a sharp fall in consumer and business spending, leading to a recession. Legislation needs to act fast in order to correct the decline and boost our economy back to the position where it once was. It starts with congress passing the Stimulus bill to promote further spending and investment.