Last week I was a skeptic. Confused by the mass panic caused by the media and incessant false reporting over COVID-19, aka Coronavirus.
Annoyed by the masses rushing out to buy Costco out of hand sanitizer and toilet paper. Rolling my eyes at all the memes. SO MANY MEMES.
The lack of toilet paper available for purchase is still puzzling but given the changes happening in the world around us, I am no longer a skeptic.
I am now cautious. Not cautiously optimistic or cautiously pessimistic, just cautious.
Entire countries have shut down, professional sports leagues have canceled seasons, institutions of higher education are moving classes online. The information available changes hourly.
I work in a place of higher learning which happens to also be home to a world-class medical institution. My inbox has received roughly three communications per day from my employer and other associated networks I work closely with to do my job.
The greatest risk for infection comes before you show any symptoms. In the state of Washington, one of the first cases in the US, initial reports showed only three active diagnoses of the virus with one death.
According to an article published by Medium, a 33% mortality rate is shocking but it is now clear that based on the known information that same diagnoses should have been closer to 1,600 infections.
Only the three were confirmed because they showed symptoms and sought treatment.
A more concerning impact for moms is the welfare of our children. Although I haven’t seen any scientific data to specifically make this a fact it appears to me that children are not a popular demographic among the infected.
Schools and childcare centers are doing their very best to stay vigilant in the fight against germs.
Our teachers are begging for Clorox wipes and hand sanitizer, field trips, and extra circulars are being canceled proactively.
I do not want to jump to any conclusions, but there are some major factors in play that impact me directly. I assume I am not the only one looking not just at the short term of a day or two but in a month or two and what life might look like.
Here are 3 key considerations for working parents:
1. School Closings
Last night following during dinner my husband and I both checked our phones to see three alerts from the city schools. A call, a voicemail and a text asking for parents to take prompt action to read important information.
Nothing makes my heart stop like seeing the alerts from the school.
I know schools are doing their absolute best with the information they have available. But what happens if schools choose preventative measures similar to some colleges and universities?
If area schools extend a spring break or cancel classes, what will I do with my children?
It doesn’t matter if that decision comes on Friday or three weeks from now. Closing schools impact parents who have inflexible jobs. It also impacts students who rely on meals and other services schools provide to them on a daily basis.
I would like to think my job will be flexible should it come to that but I can’t assume that it will be true. I also can’t assume any area daycare centers have the capacity to take in new school-aged kids if they don’t close as well.
I do not work in a healthcare field but there are so many who do and will be on the front lines. How will healthcare workers and their families be protected?
What about parents of college students who are being asked to leave their campus residence halls when their campus closes in a week or two?
It is a lot of unanswered questions.
2. Travel
My employer has proactively banned all international travel and severely limited domestic travel for professional purposes. Now that does not have any impact on personal travel and I could choose to pay my own way for a business trip if I felt it necessary.
One decision we do need to make sooner rather than later for our family is our spring break travel plans. While we are not flying we do have plans to visit a certain mega tourist destination in Florida.
Public gatherings of all sizes are being canceled by the minute so do we want to expose our family to what could be the highest risk situation of them all?
I can tell you right now with one hundred percent certainty that I will not allow my kids to set foot inside a Chick-Fil-A playland during flu season. But I am torn about traveling to Disney World with a pandemic looming.
Things are happening around us so fast that airlines, hotels and even entire areas could change during the course of a day. Business travel right now increases the likelihood of getting stranded for an extended period of time.
3. Economic Impact
If you haven’t been watching the stock market plummet over the last few days there is a chance you haven’t felt any monetary effects. Yet.
Take the shut down of the NBA for example. Patrons will likely be reimbursed for any advance ticket sales but there is an impact on others who are ancillary to the game days.
Everything from ticket takers to concession workers to the restaurant next door and the hotels in the area who serve the visiting teams will be inversely impacted.
Public gatherings of all shapes and sizes are canceling, making the tourism and entertainment industries on the front lines of the impact.
What about professionals who earn their living through traveling sales or speaking at large events? Travel restrictions make their essential job functions impossible.
Let’s not forget about all of those empty aisles at your local Costco where toilet paper and Clorox wipes should be. We can still laugh but that is the very basics of supply and demand.
Currently, imports are slowed because of the impacts of the virus in other areas. If domestic production of goods can’t keep up with demand, money doesn’t flow into the economy.
Money also doesn’t flow in if the population is quarantined inside their homes and unable to visit these businesses or if you become unemployed and have little income to spend in the marketplace.
Again it creates more questions than answers.
So what’s a busy mom with a busy family to do?
I’m already following the kids with disinfectant wipes everywhere they go so they better get used to it. I have heard reports that range from the worst is yet to come to the virus will soon peak and disappear.
I can’t tell anyone what to believe because I just don’t know myself. All I do know is we need to be cautious and forward-thinking.
As a part of the senior leadership team at work, we are meeting regularly to discuss possible scenarios for all of our stakeholders.
- What are the best and worst-case scenarios going through your mind right now?
- What can you do to contribute to the solutions in your workplace?
- What are your expectations for the decisions to be made for your family?
What I won’t do is panic. I’m not as skeptical but it also doesn’t make me believe everything I see or hear in the media.
I am committed to being more aware of what is happening locally and the steps I can take to abide by the recommendations of trusted healthcare providers.
Be patient and be kind ladies.
