The pandemic has taken its toll on the world and everyone is eager for things to get normal. There are certain steps necessary to reopen the country safely so quarantine doesn’t need to happen all over again.
Restrictions to wear masks will decrease as hospitalization rates go down. Many states have already started to lift the mask mandate as individuals were getting vaccinated and numbers of infected individuals have gone down. Although some businesses still require a mask when social distancing can be obtained, many are following suit with the local and state guidelines.
Non-essential businesses were closed for many months to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Restrictions started to lift after the hospitalization and numbers started to decrease. As businesses started to reopen, there were certain ways to enter into the facility and many businesses had strict capacities. This meant waiting in line to get groceries or other necessary supplies. Governors are slowly started to open certain sectors based on the infection rates. Some states have already reached a full reopening with rules in places such as indoor masks and temperature checks.
Travel restrictions will be lifted and people like Helen Lee Schifter will be able to go on vacation. At the start of the pandemic, the country shut down and wouldn’t let anyone in or out of the country. This also included closing the Mexico and Canada border. This prevented other countries from bringing the disease, reducing the infection rate, and protecting the citizens of the country. Travel restrictions also depended on the state to state within the country to prevent an increase in infection rate. Some states would not allow any travel from outside the state. Now that the restrictions have been lifted, travel is now available with precautions such as temperature checks, COVID-19 testing before travel, and wearing masks on public transportation, airplanes, and trains.
Soon after the pandemic started, schools got shut down to prevent the spread to the younger population. Most children were mandated to stay home and learn remotely. As the infection rate slowed and individuals started to be immunized by the COVID-19 vaccine, children were slowly allowed to return to school. Many schools started with hybrid/remote sessions others continued to stay remote while some schools went back to full in-person sessions. During the Spring of 2021, the president declared all students should be back to in-person learning by a specific date and governors were to follow suit.
As the coronavirus starts to slow down, the federal, state and local government will continue to open the states and fewer restrictions will take place. States are considered fully reopened after they have lifted all restrictions on the businesses. Helen Lee Schifter is based in New York City, NY. Schifter is a former arbitrage trader on Wall Street and a former editor at Hearst. As a graduate from Amherst College with her bachelor’s degree, she continues to work in the commercial and editorial sector. She feels the pandemic took a toll on everyone and is excited for life to return back to normal.
