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COVID-19: No New Normal Coming Soon

We are in this for the long haul.

Look at the case rate surging with corresponding increases in hospitalizations in many states. There are medical institutions that will soon be pushed to the max to respond to the increase in cases. Personally, I think this is the post Labor Day bump in cases that I predicted when that holiday hit the calendar.

Now watch as the daily death rate starts to creep up in the next 10-14 days. As I said, it is "predictable." 

People now want the kids back in school, they want to "dine in" instead of "dining outside" as the weather cools. If you want to watch the "Grand Experiment" unfold, you only need to watch what happens in Florida as schools are forced to resume in-person teaching and business has been opened back up! Packed bars and restaurants. What do you think is going to happen there? Give it another 10-14 days to watch the case rate go through the roof and then the hospitalizations. If you are in Florida, vote as soon as you can since you might be too sick to vote later.

Here is a CNN story that speaks to our desire to get back to what once was, our adaptability, and yet our inability to do what is right: "There is no getting 'back to normal,' experts say. The sooner we accept that, the better."

I got my flu shot this past week. How about you?

Eric Holdeman is a contributing writer for Emergency Management magazine and is the former director of the King County, Wash., Office of Emergency Management.