One thing’s definite. Historians will agree that the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic was not just an extraordinary moment in world history, it was another turning point. This was drama that unfolded on every continent (presumably except the Antarctic) with countless heroes and not a few anti-heroes. They need only look at the last days of 2020’s first quarter as mankind marked another pre- and post- distinction in its history.
Medical: The Most Important
Two to five years post containment of SARS-CoV-2 virus (Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, the virus’ official name), when the administration of vaccinations become commonplace and a cure will render it less virulent, writers and researchers can take a deeper dive into the epidemiology. What findings come to light will be forwarded in pamphlet form to a SARS-CoV-2 For Dummies or an in-depth study of its causes, proliferation, and more importantly its treatment. Shelves of the medical books section will probably have a row or two, and maybe more, of materials. Online articles dedicated to the virus will stay posted decades into the future and probably archived in a future cloud or in more accessible radio waves.
The hope is the Earth will not see another pandemic in a very long while, if not forever. But, if there is one certainty, it is that the natural world is a quirky being; she can and will disrupt routine. Had she functioned like a clock, all the world’s specialists would know when she would unleash fire from her belly, shake the ground we gravitate toward, or to wit, scatter disease-causing viruses. The best scientists and specialists will hopefully accomplish is read her patterns and signs and hope they do not miss another mark. It will be a comfort though for generations through the decades (and centuries) that they have this episode in human history as a guide and learn the value of vigilance all while gaining wisdom and, hopefully, prevent a recurrence of another pandemic or to curtail the often-mentioned Big One.
Moving on to the bookstore’s Psychology section, there will be a handful, if not another row, of books dedicated to the other heroes of The Great Lockdown. Readers will know of a New York doctor in a CNN interview stating probably the best description of the daily scene in the hospital’s ER she works in. As the hospital’s calm exterior insulates the general public from the virus within it also hides terrors unfolding. “A medical warzone” paints the perfect portrait for what life was like at the virus’ epicentre. These brave frontliners have seen sights and witnessed heart-breaking loss the likes of which we can only imagine. Say what we will about doctors being dispassionate, the truth is they too are human. The Great Lockdown showed us that. They grieved for families that never had final intimate moments with a beloved family member or friend and could not say goodbye. They have witnessed suffering patients taking in a breath. At the end of their shift, we will never see their consciousness or know what it felt like going through that warzone. There is no doubt they will be psychologically and emotionally scarred. Much like the trauma true soldiers experience, these healthcare workers will have to cope with life away from the battlefront; but the fact is memories remain and will haunt them.
The stories these healthcare workers will tell may behoove a psychiatrist/writer to tell the stories of the emotional and psychological pain they suffered or could still suffer from at a future time. Critics will say these thoughts and experiences should have remained confidential as it pertains to these records being patients’ medical histories. To not tell the whole story though may be a disservice to all the frontliners who went through and survived this medical war. The world will have already known their courage to face daily the sickness and risk their well-being, but the pedestrian will be unaware of the full measure of strength, care, compassion, will power they mustered amidst this most adverse situation. These will be stories of pain, heartache, loss. They will also be stories of hope, pride, strength, comfort and just maybe happiness.
Financial: What Keeps You Up At Night
Health always takes precedence yet we cannot ignore the fact that civilization still hinges on economics.
Economic historians will argue that the COVID-19 pandemic did not crash the world economy in 2020; they may agree it hastened the economy’s inevitable downturn. The rock that is the 2020 COVID-19 thrown into the already on-the-verge-of-breaking financial market pond caused a ripple effect that dictated and will have an effect on decisions long term with regard to the financial marketplace.
Once the economy corrects itself again, debates will proliferate on the merits or the lack thereof to financial institutions vis-a-vis lenders charging zero percent interest rates (possibly negative if the lockdown extends well into the second quarter). The crash will also highlight a concept large corporations feel is anathema (Microsoft being the exception). This curveball should give corporations pause and make them rethink their practice of lining pockets and instead pump their profits more into operational costs. They’ll spend less on yachts but now they’ll have a stop gap that ideally could keep them afloat until markets rebound.
Financial historians will remember the Federal Reserve Bank’s willingness to print and inject unlimited currency into the US economy to keep the US economy afloat. That sounds like a good thing; it actually is detrimental to any economy. Think supply and demand here. With corporations needing a stimulus package, the Fed had to print multi-trillion dollars’ worth of the greenback. The hope was that businesses could have the funds to operate through the quarantine. Definitely not foolproof but it was probably the only first-aid that could be administered to seal the wound temporarily. Even as the crisis passed, those trillions will continue circulating in the US economy. Websites will explain how this will devalue the greenback. On the flipside, that’s a lot of cash to spend and businesses will be wise to seize that opportunity.
As the worst passes and society begins to reanimate, the markets will slowly rebound. An estimate states a two-year period before attaining normalcy but as the economy progresses once more employees will regain their old jobs or find new ones and consumers start spending in effect jumpstarting the economy again. Would it not also be quite the ending to arguably modern history’s darkest days that it is the one subject that would be its biggest cash cow.
Like you in many ways
How the world lived through the enforced distancing and lockdown will read like a shared experience and collective consciousness memoir of the planet. The rise of populism could not have happened at a most inopportune time, some might argue. The oxymoron Together Alone finally gets its due; and the value of call apps and social media serving as bridges for one-on-one conversations will not now be undervalued. Remembering a time before the lockdown when face masks and hand sanitizers still filled the medical supply section will be anecdotes decades henceforth. Hospitals realize some shortcomings. A marked facelift in hospital ERs is on its way, budget willing. The resurgence of REM’s all-but-forgotten song “It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” during The Great Lockdown’s height will merit a sidebar, a long one or otherwise, in the telling of this short but profound chapter of world history as well as the subsequent blaring out of 10,000 Maniacs’ “These Are Days” on alt rock stations nationwide days after the lifting of the quarantine.
Lists of firsts type of books will detail how The Great Lockdown saw the emergence of Live Aid style concerts broadcast from artists’ homes and will serve as a blueprint when the world will unite once more for a common cause. The list will also have to make mention of how the routine use of face masks began during the quarantine and how its use instilled a constant caution once social distancing could not be effectively enforced at quarantine’s end.
What the world will most remember though is the love and respect we had for all the frontliners who risked their lives each time they stepped into their medical war zone. Historians will be remiss if they fail to mention these brave souls in the books and articles they will publish.
Stories to be continued
This is, of course, just the 30000-foot view. Information collated from documents and the ubiquitous social media posts should provide the zeitgeist and a clearer view of the start of the 2000’s second decade. For us who lived through the 2020 pandemic, we hope the stories and lessons from this modern day dark age will remind generations a century hence of the importance of vigilance and to remember the people who lived through and passed away during this COVID-19 pandemic or otherwise The Great Lockdown. It’s also the hope of this generation that our stories will hopefully inspire future readers to keep on hustling and keep their faith in the deity they believe in. No matter how bleak the days are, George Harrison’s feel-good reminder will always hold true: All Things Must Pass.
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