The Party’s Over at Airbnb
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And that’s a good sign for the U.S. economy.
COVID19 changed some things forever; that’s certainly no secret.
For one thing, we will be picking masks, disposable latex gloves, and other PPE out of our rivers, oceans and roadsides from now until the end of time. Those things may soon replace discarded industrial fishing equipment and the ubiquitous cigarette butt as the most common items of trash on earth.
Not every change COVID19 left in its wake has been bad. As a wise man once said, “there are no solutions, only trade-offs,” and, “almost nothing is ever all good or all bad.”
Thanks to COVID19 necessity, Telemedicine is experiencing a bit of a revolution, which is a very good thing, as it may someday help address major gaps in healthcare nationwide and solve the most intractable barrier to universal health care.
Namely that health care may indeed be a human right, but you can’t force doctors, nurses and medical providers to perform that service and you can’t magically make more when you need them. A limited supply of anything as in-demand as healthcare means rationing.
Expanding the number of patients medical professionals are able to see in a given day would be one step closer to, if not free healthcare for everyone, perhaps affordable health care for everyone.
Some things that seemed likely go away forever after COVID19 have made a surprising comeback (self-serve buffets); some things we would have been glad to see go have persisted (supply chain issues).
Some industries were hit harder by COVID19 shut-downs, restrictions, and mandates than others. The live entertainment industry was dealt a savage blow, as were hospitality and travel-dependent outfits. Many restaurants barely survived. Others didn’t survive at all.
Worse, the cruelest cut is yet to come for all the hard-scrabble small business owners, growing concerns, and sole proprietors who, against all odds, somehow managed to stay afloat all these many months.
It isn’t blue skies and smooth sailing as far as the eye can see for survivors of the COVID19 storm; a new gauntlet has sprung up instead and the outlook has perhaps never been darker.
