WiNK

What's to Come: The Summer of 2020 and Beyond

As I was going for a run last week, one of the many activities I, and many others have been enjoying during a time when we are drawn to the outdoors after all of our time spent inside; I was reminded of a time before this pandemic, the coronavirus, a sense of normalcy. Cars on both sides of the road were packed together in long lines or what looked like parades. The cars almost brushed up against me a few times, but the point is, it felt like normal times. I was wondering why so many cars were going out today compared to other days I had been out? Maybe it was the warm weather, maybe everyone was suddenly running out of groceries and had to run to the store, or maybe people were just getting tired of staying home, a struggle I have heard from people just a few times. It was bizarre. I later found out that there was actually a terrible motorcycle crash on Route 7 in New Milford, right near the high school, so the road was blocked off. It was strange that it took an accident and subsequent traffic back-up to be the first time I felt like life was normal again: no pandemic, no social distancing, no stay at home orders or masks, just normal - what we have had for decades.

This Memorial Day weekend I also witnessed this. I was out on my boat, going from bay to bay, and noticed that people were tying up together, as people have done for years and years, something normal. Sometimes even five boats, with about six people on each of them, were tied together, with people going from one of them to the other, celebrating Memorial Day with a barbeque, and friends. But this didn't give me the same feeling that packed streets of cars did, it was almost scary, it was unsafe. Social distancing is going to be around this summer, something that I will explore further, so we have to find a balance of our social lives, and staying safe. As the warm weather starts to become more consistent, as we are drawn to the outdoors even more, and reminded of a time we are usually spending with our friends, outside on the lawn chairs at school, and doing normal social things; the questions of "what are we going to be able to do this summer" and "what is the summer, and beyond, going to look like" are very relevant questions that the whole Northern Hemisphere is asking, and really the world is asking about the future. We are entering into one of the most unknown times in history, so what is it going to look like?

You've heard it, states have been starting to reopen, even CT has. States like Texas, Florida, and many other southern, and Conservative states have been on the fast side of reopening. Federal regulations are that states only start to reopen when their curve of new cases has flattened, something not seen in these states. It's also the fact that if these states do reopen rapidly, and without safe social distancing requirements, a new wave of coronavirus is without a doubt going to start. I saw a shocking image from Lake Ozark in Missouri the other day (see image at bottom), the setting of a show that many have been enjoying during stay at home orders, Ozark, on Netflix. But a photo from the town a hit show is based in did not shock me, it was just how many people were, excuse my language, stupid enough to defy social distancing orders, something that is saving lives. The goal right now in America is not only to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, but also to reopen the economy. What happened in Lake Ozark was accomplishing none of these tasks, it was only possibly spreading the coronavirus further. Following the severe backlash of this party, all of the people attending it were ordered to self-quarantine, which I think is a smart move. But this event wasn't just one slip up since social distancing orders were implemented into the U.S. It has happened many times. But these occurrences are speeding up as states start to reopen, as little enforcement of the social distancing guidelines are present, and people care more about their "right" to party, than the lives of people they are putting at risk.

As CT and America starts to reopen over the summer, this fact that we must still obey the social distancing guidelines must stay in the minds of Americans everywhere. Reopening is not throwing parties and seeing your friends in large numbers, it is simply to reopen the economy slowly, allowing people to move about more freely, while also keeping people safe and following social distancing guidelines. This regathering of crowds could be a serious problem that will determine how the summer plays out, and even beyond that.

Obviously we have rights that need to be protected, we are Americans after all, but I think that in times of crisis sometimes these rights must be slightly infringed upon to save lives. We must remember to obey social distancing guidelines, and to stay safe, so that another outbreak will not be as widespread, both saving lives, and making it so we can still see our friends and family safely in small numbers. This summer's not going to be normal, and likely the world won't go back to normal for a long time after this if over, so please, don't be tempted by the warm weather to be completely unsafe, since by still following the guidelines you are saving lives.

But what will happen beyond this summer? The truth is, we don't know. This goes for the summer, but even more so for September, October, and all the way up until the vaccine for COVID-19 is discovered and widespread. There is likely to be a second wave of coronavirus as many scientists and medical professionals have stated, including Dr. Anthony Fauci. So more than likely, what the fall and winter, and maybe even beyond are going to look like is based upon how widespread this new wave becomes, and also based upon if it has mutated or not, for better or worse, which is a possibility. The social distancing guidelines are likely to be as strict, however businesses will likely be better off than they were this Spring, as they will likely have time to prepare the proper safety regulations over the summer to stay open through the fall, winter, and possibly spring.

But maybe the biggest question we are asking right now, as parents, teachers, and students, is if school is going to be back to normal come fall. In my opinion, there is no way that school can go back to how it was before this pandemic in the fall. However, this does not mean that we won't be on campus. I've heard from many people's predictions that they think that we as students and teachers will go to school in small groups for about a week perhaps, and then for the next week another group will come in, while the group that was at school the week before will be doing online school. With no vaccine, and a second wave likely to come, I don't think school will be normal after the summer, or anything for that matter. But we will likely have more of a sense of normalcy in the future than this winter and spring, as we were completely blindsided and not prepared.

The future is going to be different, very different. But we don't know exactly what that is going to look like. That all depends on how strong we remain, and how well we follow the guidelines issued by the government and public health organizations. Other states and other countries are going to be reopening and handling this pandemic differently, but I'd say by living in New York, and Connecticut, we are in good hands. But no matter what this summer is going to be like, we are going to have fun. It's finally summer! Be happy! We are likely going to start seeing each other again, but obviously safely. The future of the world rests in how we handle the situation now, so be smart.

Lake Ozark, Missouri this past Saturday, May 23rd, 2020