Some of us are working from home, some of us are working at our offices and job sites, and some of us aren’t working at all. Such is the new abnormal in a world turned outside-in by the spread of the novel corona virus.
As of early Wednesday morning, no cases of COVID-19, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls it, had been reported in Worcester County. In fact, of the Eastern Shore of Maryland’s nine counties, only Talbot County with one case had been affected.
This may be one of the few times that living on the frequently overlooked Eastern Shore, in terms of getting anything from the state, is an advantage.
That, of course, is likely to change, as travel by members of our mobile society slows to a moderate trickle rather than ceases abruptly, and someone will either return home with a not-so-lovely parting gift from a trip beyond the peninsula, or a visitor will come and go and leave something viral behind.
It can’t be helped, even though local and state governments are doing their best to contain the spread of this disease. Gov. Larry Hogan in particular has proven to be much more than many people thought he would be when he won his first term in a “stunning upset” in 2014.
He is the right person in the right place at a time when having the guts to make exceptionally painful and unprecedented decisions, and giving the public the straight facts while doing it, constitute real leadership.
But as necessary as they are, Maryland’s strict, almost martial law-like virus containment efforts are battering local businesses, workers, consumers, the elderly and school students. That means people who can help must do so whenever, wherever and however they can. That includes helping our local businesses get back on track once this thing ends.
And it will. As bad as it is, our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents endured worse: they went through the Great Depression and World War II.
When the war ended, they went on to build the greatest economy the world had ever seen. If we have half the qualities of our earlier family members, we will do the same thing.