Essay on COVID-19: Unprecedented Global Economic Impact and Life Changes in Houston

COVID-19 has changed lives in a way never experienced before. Globally, the pandemic has crippled the economy with most non-essential sectors such as tourism closed. In the US, the most evident changes are the closure of workplaces, schools, and spaces set aside for public gatherings (Silverman & Brittany). Also, many businesses have closed, rendering a significant population jobless. In Houston, park facilities and recreational centers are closed. Besides, there has been a stay at home order and the restriction of all businesses categorized as non-essential, the movement is highly restricted and people are urged to only move out when in need of essential goods or services.

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The pandemic has also transformed everyone's life. For me, I have become more hygienic owing to the constant reminders all over the internet about washing hands. For the first time, my house is stocked with more hygiene products than groceries. Also, I was used to travelling and hanging out with friends over the weekends. I had never imagined I would spend any weekend alone. With COVID-19, I am mostly confined to my house and weekends are no longer fun as they were.

I think the government was laid back and did not take the COVID-19 as seriously as it should have done. When the spread of the virus came into the limelight in February, the leaders were preoccupied with Trump's impeachment, and little attention was given to the virus. The government downplayed the looming crisis since its effects were apparent in China and some countries in Europe, such as Italy (Lopez). Also, the lightness with which the government handled the issue was seen in Trump's statement that he could lift measures on social distancing by Easter. Hence, Trump's administration failed to prioritize the crisis as it should have.

I think the government should have improved and prepared its pandemic response team early enough. The government became aware of a disease that had raised concerns in China as early as April 2018 (Lopez). It should have begun evaluating its level of preparedness then and put in place sufficient measures. Besides, the administration should have increased the funding of public health agencies and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. With such actions, the government would have responded effectively to COVID-19 or any other disease outbreak.

The effects of COVID-19 are likely to worsen in the coming days hence people should be prepared to face even harder times. Its overall impacts will certainly be far reaching regardless of one's social class. While the government failed to take adequate measures in advance, I think it has begun making significant efforts to curb the pandemic. The pandemic has changed diverse aspects of life and it is critical for the US to adopt effective preparedness measures to avoid similar impacts in case of a future pandemic.

Works Cited

Lopez, German. "The Trump Administration's Botched Coronavirus Response Was Years in the Making." Vox, 2 Apr. 2020, www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/3/14/21177509/coronavirus-trump-covid-19-pandemic-response.

Silverman, Dwight, and Brittany Britto. "Coronavirus Live Updates: Harris County Parks to Close This Weekend, Houston's to Stay Open." HoustonChronicle.com, 9 Apr. 2020, www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/coronavirus-live-update-who-what-why-pandemic-15186345.php.