Monday, May 11, 2020

Coronavirus News (90)



The Coronavirus Shock Looks More like a Natural Disaster than a Cyclical Downturn Recessions typically develop gradually over time, reflecting underlying economic and financial conditions, whereas the current economic situation developed suddenly as a consequence of a fast-moving global pandemic. A more appropriate comparison would be to a regional economy suffering the effects of a severe natural disaster, like Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina or Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. ........ The coronavirus pandemic, in contrast, came on suddenly, hitting the economy at full force in one month. Third, the current pandemic is widely viewed as a temporary situation with an endpoint, though how soon that endpoint is reached is of utmost concern and remains to be seen. .........

A Katrina-Level Event—but at a National Scale

.......... As New York’s governor has aptly noted, the coronavirus pandemic is like a slow-moving hurricane—and we’re not even sure how slow-moving it is yet.




Small Businesses Are Worse Off Than We Thought If the COVID-19 crisis lasts four months, 65 percent of small retailers say there’s a good chance they’ll be forced to close permanently by the end of the year. Among restaurants and bars, 70 percent expect to go out of business if social-distancing orders last into July. ................ On average, survey respondents with less than $10,000 in monthly bills had only enough cash on hand to cover one month of expenses. ......... “Everything is rapidly evolving” .......

Through the Paycheck Protection Program, part of the federal government’s $2 trillion economic relief package, small businesses can apply for low-interest loans, all or most of which will be forgiven, based on amounts spent on wages, rent, and utilities.

........ A significant number of survey-takers said they would not apply for government loans because they anticipated problems with accessing the funds due to red tape and distrust in the government to forgive the loans.




The Shift to Online Teaching How K-12 educators can translate proven higher ed practices to their virtual classrooms

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