(Terre Haute) Tribune-Star
Measuring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will someday become a science in its own right.
In some ways, it will be a measurement of massive proportions, broken down into smaller ones. At its basic point, it will be highly personal.
Our thoughts today are fragmented. We all have myriad worries to weigh us down.
The health impact, certainly, poses great and lasting consequences, both on people and our health care system.
For people eventually affected in some way, mild or severe, it will be a personal challenge. How it affects the health care system is something difficult to fathom.
The economic impact will also be wide and deep. It has already begun. The restaurant, hospitality and travel industries have suffered a direct hit. The crisis has begun to spread into other parts of the economy as well. Most everyone will ultimately feel the pain, some worse than others.
As one of the first segments of the economy to feel the sudden freeze in economic activity, restaurants are especially feeling hurt. In the past week, governors across the country, including Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, ordered bars and restaurants to cease their dine-in services. That put thousands of people out of work.
Many restaurants are trying to adjust. As key centers of community culture, restaurants understand their importance and will undoubtedly work mightily to survive. A large number of them in Terre Haute, Seymour, Brownstown and elsewhere are remaining open for carry-out and drive-through service to stay solvent and provide a valuable and highly-sought-after service.
As we start a new week in this strange new world, we have no idea what coming days hold. Circumstances will most likely get far worse before they get better.
But let’s not forget that small businesses such as our local restaurants are struggling to stay afloat through these stormy waters. Not only should we support them whenever we can, we should thank them for what they mean to this community and wish them well as they cope with harsh economic forces of nature.
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