We are in unexplored territory. Now that Trump has declared a state of Emergency the Stafford Act goes into effect. Part of it states:
That's scary. As always, we should assume that what we see Trump doing is just a small part of what he is actually perpetrating.
"gives the President the authority to determine any rule or regulation that may be necessary to carry out the powers that he is given in the Act."
The good thing is that governors can now request funding from FEMA. The problem is, nobody really knows how to deal with this situation. Yesterday was really crazy. I went to a lot of stores, partly because I wasn't sure how available some things would be, partly out of curiosity. It was crazy. Shelves were bare, lines were incredibly long and many items were being rationed. What's next? Rationing coupons like they used for WWII?
Empty shelves and a line of at least 15 carts where there are usually only 2 or 3
(Image by Rob Kall) Details DMCA
The governor of PA closed all schools for two weeks. That means my daughter has to work out how to take care of my granddaughter, who is in kindergarten. My younger granddaughter is in day care (both parents work) and my daughter doesn't know yet whether they will stay open. My guess is they won't.
I have friends who recently started restaurants. Talk about worst possible timing. The only good thing is they both do a lot of delivery business. We'll see if that saves them.
I think that this situation could permanently change the way we do some things. Public meetings-- in classrooms, conferences, churches, mosques, temples and synagogues -- may disappear and even become illegal. They could be replaced by digital connection.
Eat-in restaurants may not survive this virus if the situation stays the same for long.
Shopping malls were already in trouble. This will be their death blow. Several in my area have already closed and it is likely we'll more closings soon.
Actually all public and commercial real estate may go through major changes. As the use of these spaces for large groups collapses, the value of the buildings will collapse too. But will be they be used for?
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