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Everyone is wondering what will happen in the next few months. Will things get back to normal? Will we still be in quarantine? Will there be a second wave of infection? Literally, nobody knows for sure, but I have my own opinion. I think there will be some breakthroughs in the next month or two on testing and treatment. I also think we will have a vaccine in the fall that will be ready for distribution by the end of the year. Testing is key. As soon as we have five-minute tests that are readily available, only the sick will be quarantined and life will resemble normalcy. I say “resemble” because I think it will take years to fully recover from the trauma we are all experiencing.
I am not a supporter of the current wave of protests taking place around the country. I understand people are suffering. We all want to go back to work. We all want to get back to our lives, but when we disrespect the current protocols, we put more than ourselves at risk: we risk the lives of others – and we risk extending the quarantine another year. If you have any questions about the true severity of the Coronavirus, ask a health care worker. Nearly sixty thousand Americans died of COVID-19 in April alone. That is more than died in the entire Vietnam War. Respect others and follow social distancing rules. America won’t die if we close the economy for three months. We will get past this soon.
Regardless of political persuasion, most people think the rhetoric of politics has gotten out of control. If you believe that, as I do, there IS something you can do about it. You can ask yourself whether you are helping or hurting the situation. I like to say that there are two types of people in the world: people who add stress and people who relieve stress. I think similarly, some people are adding to the political spectacle in the country, and others are at least trying for something better.
Gary's Blog will return next week.
This past week, the National Association of Realtors invited me to participate in a meeting with the NAR leadership and Jonathan Kanter, the Assistant Attorney General of the United States.