Ben Frey, Sartell
We hear about it every day. Some believe that the Covid-19 is less severe than the press is making it out to be, and they wish for businesses to reopen and for life to return to “normal.” Others believe that doing so will lead to millions of infected and, many thousand more dead. This is what the media, and social media portrays; but it runs much deeper than this.
They fail to address all aspects of the shutdown. More time spent at home is causing a rise in domestic violence related crimes. Incidents of child abuse (also on the rise) can’t be reported by staff at schools because they aren’t in session. For some, not working or being able to go anyplace will lead to increased mental health issues, some of which will result in suicide. Some people’s reason to live is to work and provide for their family, taking that away leaves them in a hopeless state.
Additionally, the lack of income has forced some small businesses to close permanently. Those employees now have no hope of going back to work. Workers are being laid off in record numbers. Some small towns have one business that is the mainstay of their economy. A shutdown for them means the town itself dies. The loss of income also means that some people will have their car repossessed, others may be evicted, or they will lose their house. The needless loss of meat and dairy products from the shutdown creates a demand that cannot be met, and prices that unemployed people cannot afford.
The shutdown IS affecting every American in some way. The Covid-19 itself is not.
