With States Halting their Re-Opening Plans, How is Resilience Being Put to the Test?

It’s no secret that life as we knew it has changed and may never return to what it once was. As places began to reopen to bring people back to their earlier routines, COVID-19 continued to remain prominent in our daily lives – causing a reoccurrence of disruption and panic. In some states, such as Florida and California, places are beginning to close again due to the increasing number of people who have tested positive. On the enterprise level, businesses have been forced to consider more permanent changes to their operations, like expanded social distancing measures, staggered hours, and personal protective equipment measures. On the community and individual levels, there is a general recognition that the world and the ways we communicate and interact with one another will never be the same.

Since the lockdown in March, all 50 states have been developing reopening plans with plans being put into action in late Spring. Now, a growing number of states are pausing phases in fear of rising coronavirus cases, and several states have gone as far as reinforce restrictions they had lifted earlier, such as the opening of bars, restaurants, malls, among others.

We may realize or accept this, but this may be America’s new normal. As an example, Florida, which now has one of the fastest-growing COVID-19 case count in the nation, is struggling to balance its most recent positive cases with their early reopening. According to Time Magazine, Florida was the initial force of the pandemic that has killed more than 127,000 Americans. As the state came out of lockdown in early May, Florida was a success story. As was predicted by many, a month later, the number of confirmed cases increased significantly. In just two weeks of reopening, Florida doubled their number of confirmed cases.

This period of not knowing what to expect can be frustrating and challenging but, it is important to recognize our own resilience and the resilience of our community. Although we are going through a period of uncertainty, life must continue to go on and with that being said we must proceed safely and with resilience. This is why it is important to stay knowledgeable and follow the necessary guidelines for what is expected from us to keep ourselves safe and others as well. If you are an individual or an enterprise looking for ways on how to bolster your resilience during this pandemic, please visit resilience-ed.org.