It’s been almost a month since NC State officially made their decision to shift to minimal on-campus activity, and many of us are starting to adapt to a socially distanced lifestyle. I, like many of my peers, have returned to my off-campus residence to a completely different lifestyle. We can no longer get coffee at Talley Student Union, work out together at Carmichael Gym, or even greet each other as we walk to class. Online classes are not entirely the same, as many have rightfully taken to discussing the COVID-19 outbreak, and in turn, many of my peers have asked a now-hegemonic question: When are we going back to normal?
My classmates are not the only people who are wondering when we will return to “normalcy.” There are countless articles floating online about when we should expect to return to daily life, some hopeful for returning to our daily lives sooner than later. I myself often ponder this question of when I’ll be able to go outside in peace and see my friends in real life again. Recently, however, I’ve had to bite the bullet and realize that even after restrictions are lifted, we are not going back to normalcy for quite some time.
While the U.S. political spectrum continues to be divisive, it is painfully clear that we are in for future economic turmoil. Even after this indefinite period of social distancing, the looming cloud of economic recession will tower over us. Right now we are in an economic standstill, with many businesses losing profits due to having to follow necessary social-distancing guidelines, many people filing for unemployment due to being laid off, and the GDP continuing to plummet.
There are many ways an economic recession can affect us. The obvious contender is the increased unemployment and job insecurity, and the fact that we don’t have robust systems such as an universal basic income to counter it. Being more economically advantageous does not absolve economic problems, with retirement funds and grants more than likely to be affected. The rich upper class is not entirely safe either, as the effects of a decreased interactive market and workforce will likely decrease its capital. It is, by all means, a monetary nightmare where everybody loses, and the less economically and systematically advantaged lose even more.
Attempting a full-blown economic return to normalcy will require fixing how prepared our healthcare system is for dealing with COVID-19. Right now we are facing a nationwide shortage of supplies, a rapidly rising pandemic curve and a stressed-out consumer culture. It would be irresponsible, to say the least, to expect many of our peers to return to our usual consumer activities under the threat of a potentially life-threatening virus.
As much as we might want to save the economy and return to our normal lives, we cannot throw away cautionary guidelines. It is still unclear whether we are going to experience a second wave of COVID-19 outbreaks in the fall, but placing economic recovery over human lives is careless at best. Nobody is going to be willing or even able to participate in a market where both economic and health risks are imminent. Until the COVID-19 vaccine becomes readily accessible to the mass public, our sense of normalcy will live under shaky terms.
While the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic recession is bound to cause collective trauma, we cannot go into full pessimism. Now it is more important than ever to look for economic reform, to look for policies that will work toward addressing both the falling economy and the plights of the working class. We have also seen incredible acts of solidarity amidst the outbreak, with researchers racing to find a cure for the virus. Full normalcy might be indefinitely delayed, but nothing is stopping us from continuing to fight for it.
