Hacker News Reader

Comment by mark_l_watson | Hacker News Reader

We are just getting started in dealing with covid-19 health and economic issues.

There are no quick fixes and we need to hope that almost everyone does the right thing (wearing masks, social distancing, keep shopping at local businesses) because we can’t really get the economy going until almost everyone gets on board.

View on HN

Whoa, you have local businesses?

Our leaders have deemed that even curbside pickup is far too dangerous, so Amazon is the only shop in town.

Here in the Midwest, everything except 1) franchise stores and 2) single-proprietor stores have gone to curbside pickup. They invented a whole pickup process at our grocery store, with shipping containers in the parking lot containing staged carts with numbers, masked-and-gloved young people filling and shuttling carts to the container. They text you when your cart is ready. Drive over and park in a numbered space and reply with your space number. Somebody comes out of the container with your cart and you pop your trunk.

Cars coming and going all day. Works well for everybody (with a car).

And there is the challenge that many of the most vulnerable are even more devastated financially by this situation, they have to keep working, and many low pay (now essential jobs) haven't done a good job on ppe. People in those jobs have less access to good medical care and they have to keep working.

I agree, and the blame falls mostly in the federal government for that. They could have mandated many companies to make PPE starting in February. Getting protective gear to workers should be a high priority.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com