BEFORE AND AFTER COVID-19
BEFORE AND AFTER COVID-19:
THE NEW ABNORMAL
Regardless of how bad media
headlines make it sound,
COVID-19 is not the apocalypse
it is being made out to be. It is,
however, very serious and has
ground much of society as we know it to a
halt. Comparisons have been and can easily
be made to 9/11 in terms of the disruption
that is being felt across the international
landscape. That begs the question: Will
what is “normal” change after COVID-19
like it did after 9/11? Anyone who flew
on an airplane, for instance, before 9/11
knows how different that experience
became. What might change now?
Pandemics are relatively rare. COVID-19
is the first serious pandemic the world has
faced in modern times. It may or may not
come as a big surprise that, even with all of
our advanced science and knowledge, we
dropped the ball on the response.
What are some things that might change
moving forward in the future? Most of this
is speculative, but more likely than not,
some or all of them could occur:
• Travel watchlists for biological
contaminants including illness at
airports and seaports
• Economic recession. This one should
come as no surprise because we are
practically already in the middle of
one, and COVID-19 isn’t even over
yet.
• Politically speaking, scientists and
physicians are likely to be more
involved with policymaking, a least for
the foreseeable future.
• The storage of basic medical supplies,
including face masks and gloves, will
likely become a very commonplace
thing, especially given the shortages
the world has seen recently.
• Businesses and insurance companies
are going to come up with ways to
mitigate potential risks that could
stem from pandemics in the future.
CONTACT TRACING
• Trace and monitor contacts of
infected people. Notify them of their
exposure.
• Support the quarantine of contacts.
Help ensure the safe, sustainable and
effective quarantine of contacts to
prevent additional transmission.
• Expand staffing resources. Contact
tracing in the US will require that
states, tribes, localities and territorial
establish large cadres of contact
tracers.
• Use digital tools. Adoption and
evaluation of digital tools may expand
reach and efficacy of contact tracers.
Other events could also occur that would
change the general landscape moving
forward. Many companies, particularly
airlines and cruise ship companies (after
massive stock buybacks), are on the brink
of collapse unless they receive government
bailouts. Companies like Ford, with less
income, may experience a change in their
credit rating which would then trigger
clauses that require them to pay back loans,
which could put them deep in the red at the
very least. China has instituted measures to
prevent the suspected origins of COVID-19
from happening in the future, such as
banning the trade of live animals, though
they puzzlingly had their government health
office recommend bear bile as a cure for
COVID-19 the very next day.
Things might change dramatically across
the world in very obvious ways. Likewise,
things may not really change that much at
all. Time will tell either way. What we know
right now is that individuals, businesses,
and politicians can’t afford to be caught off
guard in the future like they were this time.
The economy fell into a deep hole, and
unfortunately, it was very likely avoidable.
In the future, people will be better prepared
if for no other reason than the fact that they
have already seen what happens in this type
of situation and now know what to do (and
what not to do). +
BY: ROSS E. RUTMAN, CLCS, CPIA
ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT
JGS INSURANCE
Ross Rutman began his career in the
property management industry 15 years
ago.
While working within various
departments including operations,
information technology, condominium
management and insurance; Ross
decided to pursue his passion and
joined JGS Insurance. For the past four
years Ross has represented the JGS
marketing team by working alongside
our sales, service and management side
of our business. He strives to provide a
consultative approach and proactive
services to our clients.
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