As the holidays approach, people are starting to plan their family gatherings to celebrate and spend time together.
Many who are concerned for themselves and their loved ones believe that one of the ways to keep everyone safe is by re-closing the states, but this is not a guarantee.
The United States first placed a Safer at Home order on March 20 earlier this year. Non-essential businesses shut down and the public was ordered to only come in contact with members in their household.
According to Pew Research Center, during this time 15% of adults in America reported that they were laid off or lost their jobs.
The study also showed that lower income adults are more likely to remain unemployed than upper or middle income adults.
Re-closing the states and enforcing another Safer at Home order assures that more people will lose their jobs and be put at risk for remaining unemployed.
This would be difficult for people during the holidays when they are trying to buy gifts for their loved ones.
It’s already hard for many to afford to put food on the table and there is no promise that another lock down will even work.
According to an article published by Healthline, the United States didn’t enforce a national Safer at Home order and many states, like South Dakota, didn’t create any kind of guidance on quarantines.
Healthline also published in their article that experts said it’s unlikely that there would be a full blown second lockdown in America no matter how high the cases got because the country cannot afford it politically or economically.
Just as the vaccine is not expected to immediately end the pandemic, neither is a Safer at Home order.
Re-closing the states could potentially mean that people are safer by not being allowed to attend unnecessary events, but it doesn’t mean that the virus won’t continue to spread rapidly through this winter.
The most efficient way for people to stay safe is by choosing not to attend large gatherings, wearing proper personal protective equipment and social distancing.
