A Year We Will All Remember

The year 2020 is a year we’re all going to remember. It was a moment when the United States economy had deflation of goods and services. It was like we went into a time machine and we were in the 80s again and gas was a dollar and some change. It was a year that the population lost their jobs or received a cut in pay. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the jobless rate in April of 2020 reached 14.7% a level not seen since the Great Depression.

The U.S economy is projected by the International Monetary Fund to decline by 5.9%, about twice the rate of decline experienced in 2009 during the financial crisis. Throughout this time thousands of people are dying every single day. It’s an all-around sad time for many. Behind the scenes, there were procedures and mitigation plans executed to minimize the expansion of COVID-19.

Bioterrorism

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, there was major hostility. Some people didn’t take the disease seriously and made fun of the people that took the extra precaution to follow the 6 ft social distancing.

Some people were extremely selfish against COVID-19. For instance, there was a gentleman that went to their local Walmart store and recorded himself liking multiple hygienic products for “fun.” This is just one example of bioterrorism which is the premeditated liberation of contaminants to cause disease or fatalities among residents, food produced & animals to frighten civilians or manipulate the government (Das., Kataria, 2011). The aftermath of this occurrence was that the gentleman in the video was identified and was charged with a second-degree terrorist threat.

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Bioterrorism is something not taken lightly, especially when undergoing a pandemic.

Gerrity’s Supermarket Incident

In March 2020, there was a woman that decided to conduct a heinous so-called prank. This woman decided to walk into Gerrity’s Supermarket and purposely cough and spit on groceries. This woman managed to contaminate the entire fresh produce section, the section of meat products, and the bakery section of the grocery store. This was devastating news to receive because currently, so many people are worried about the security of their food supply. Not to mention the employees that work day and night to sanitize and stock the aisle. On the about day of the incidenttheirthe about abo 35,000 worth of food had to be tossed out and destroyed. When the woman was identified she was detained and charged with two felony counts of a terrorist threat, one felony count of threats to use a biological agent, and one felony count of criminal mischief the bail was set as 50,000.

Florida Man

On May 27, 2020, there was a 911 call about a domestic violence case. Police later arrived and made an arrest. The man arrested was purposely disclosing to the officer he had COVID-19 and proceeded to cough on the officer’s arm. He was admitted into jail that date but the following day he was bonded out. Within that same date, there was another disturbance call where police came across the same gentleman. Throughout this second arrest, the man purposely spits on the officer multiple times, hitting the inside of the officer’s mouth with blood-filled saliva. Again, he disclosed that he had COVID-19 and he intentionally was spreading the virus. The man was later indicted on federal terrorism charges. He perpetrated a biological weapon hoax according to the court records.

Arizona Emergency Information Network

Per Arizona’s Emergency Information Network (AEIN) website during a potential bioterrorist attack, it’s important to stay informed whether it be through radio, news, internet (the State of Arizona, n.d). Update yourself on signs and symptoms of the disease and the area of danger to prevent exposing yourself. If you witness an unusual and suspicious substance, step away and contact the authorities. Take the necessary precautions of washing your hands for 20 seconds and using a mouthpiece. If at any point you feel you have been a victim of a bioterrorism attack remove and bag your clothes and personal items (the State of Arizona, n.d). Wait on given instruction by a medical professional on how to properly dispose of them. If you notice you have the symptoms of COVID-19 communicate this to your employer or school and stay quarantined until the symptoms subside. Many mitigation steps are being publicized to cities all around Arizona to fight this horrendous disease.

Mitigation Importance

Recently there has been protesting occurring that has caused the increase in COVID-19 cases. The president had to execute Marshal Law for this can be legally handled. Therefore, the increase in cases is now involving the National Guard troops as well as protestors. Protestors were getting out of control and disregarding the 6 ft rule. Statistics later proved the increase in COVID-19 cases. To prevent more cases from evolving the governor implemented a curfew that began at 8 pm MST to diminish further exposure. This curfew was put in place on May 31, 2020, and there have not been major problems since. This mitigation plan implemented by the governor was crucial to lowering the further contamination of COVID-19.

Mitigation Goal

The goal of implementing mitigation strategies is to decrease the transmission of the Coronavirus. The priority is to protect individuals at increased risk such as people with preexisting conditions and older adults that are more vulnerable. Also, people that are most exposed to such viruses as healthcare and critical infrastructure workforces. Its highly important for the recommended precautions to take place in places such as empowering businesses, schools, and community organizations. Businesses all around the world have been considering sending their employees to work remotely and the statistics show that there has been an increase in remote working since the pandemic started. Working from home is one of many ways businesses have contributed to mitigating the spread of the Coronavirus.

Disease Mitigation

In the State of Arizona when a bioterrorist attack occurs first responders & the affected public are educated on precautions to take to mitigate the disease. The basic procedures would be washing hands, wearing gloves, and the use of mouthpieces. Depending on the attack if it was droplets, direct contact, or airborne there are different protocols. If someone is affected by a liquified biohazard, an emergency medical center (EMC) must place the patient in a private room & maintain a three feet distance (ADHS, 2004). The transportation of the patient is restricted to prevent exposure. If the patient had direct contact with the contamination this is when EMC must ensure that patients’ care items, bedside equipment, and frequently touched surfaces receive daily cleaning. Also, any medical utensil must be for a single patient. If their psychologistspsychologist’s limited resources disinfection of the equipment is a must. If the patient is exposed to an airborne hazard the patient must be transported to a private room that has a monitored negative air pressure with appropriate filtration of air before discharge from the room (ADHS, 2004). The chart below shows how mitigation can slow down the development of new COVID-19 cases and reduce the risk of overwhelming the health care system (Harvard Health Publishing, 2020).

Mitigation Regulations

Medical facilities were not the only areas that took precautions. Schools all around Arizona were affected. As of March 15, 2020, schools in the state of Arizona were closed for the rest of the school year. Many businesses didn’t have the option but to reduce their working hours per the request of health officials. On March 17, 2020, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Arizona Department of Health Services issues updated guidance that all gatherings exceeding 10 people would have to cancel or postpone the date (Ducey, 2020). Not to mention on March 31, 2020, there was a curfew that took affects as of 5:00 pm MST Arizona will implement the “Stay home, stay healthy, stay connected” policy. Under this policy, all individual in the State of Arizona shall limit their time away from their home to reinforce the importance of social distancing (Ducey, 2020).

Mitigation in Higher Risk Area

Mitigations are essential because certain settings cause a higher risk of transmitting COVID-19. Some of the locations with an increased possibility are nursing homes, long-term care facilities, correctional facilities, and homeless populations (CDC, 2020). This is discouraging because my husband is a correctional officer (CO). I speak with my husband about the risk and what mitigation processes are being implemented. He advised that CO that are interacting with inmates infected are wearing protective gear such as gloves, marks, and a bodysuit. The same CO interacting with inmates with COVID-19 must work in the same department because if another CO is posted there, they will be more exposure. Therefore, when people that are involved in a certain setting should be given the proper attention because they’re at higher risk for severe illness when determining and adjusting community mitigation strategies.

Disaster Aftermath

When dealing with bioterrorism EMC personnel become overworked & supplies become very limited. With limited resources, it prevents EMC to deliver the necessary assistance to patients. On occasion, limited resources can cause more death due to delayed medical attention. Thankfully the Federal Government has assisted by contributing 3 million in federal grants to the University of Arizona & the University of New Mexico. The grant will help in providing bioterrorism emergency response coaching for health care providers in Arizona & New Mexico (Gellerman, 2006). During the first year of the grant, the Critical Response & Emergency System Training Consortium has provided admission to emergency preparedness training to more than 17,600 physicians, physician assistants, nurses, paramedics, & other public health professionals in Arizona (Gellerman, 2006).

Arizona Come Together

I’m thankful that I’m from Arizona. For Whicwhich at one point we all have our differences but during troubling times we manage to come together and help one another. As many small businesses struggle to keep their business running Phoenix IDA has helped by providing 10K relief grants. CEO Juan Salgado states, “Small business owners are hurting, and we’re offering assistance to businesses to keep employees working and meet basic operating needs. Small businesses are the backbone of the Phoenix economy, and that is why we’re investing in our local market.” Also, the Arizona Community Foundation (ACF) established the Arizona COVID-19 Community Response Fund to support Arizona nonprofit organizations as they respond to the spread of COVID-19. AFC also generated the Arizona Undocumented Workers Reliefs Fund to support undocumented working families who support the state’s economy, industries, and communities. Since undocumented families are ineligible to receive unemployment benefits or most of the federal disaster relief funds

Car Insurance Response

Unless you’re an essential worker, you’re probably spending a lot less time on the road and insurance companies are considering this. If you have not noticed already some bills might be more economical than what you’re used to. Car insurance companies have responded during these troubling times and are lowering your car insurance bill. The discounted percent fluctuated per business but any dollar counts at this time. For instance, Progressive is giving its customers a 20 percent credit off their April and May premiums. Also, State Farm is giving its consumers a 25 percent credit from the March through May bills. It makes complete sense for insurance companies to do such a thing because major of the population is being sheltered therefore auto insurance rates should be lower too.

CARES Act

When experiencing a pay cut or being laid off from work your first thought is how are you going to pay off your mortgage? Thankfully, during these financially unstable times, there is assistance. There was an Act that was implemented which is the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. This law prohibits lenders to foreclose within 60 days after March 18, 2020 (CFPB, 2020). Lenders are not able to initiate a judicial or non-judicial foreclosure against the consumer, or from finalizing a foreclosure judgment or sale, during the pandemic. If you’re enduring a financial hardship the CARES Act has you covered. Consumers have the capability of requesting a forbearance for up to 180 days. If you require an extension to pay off your mortgage you can request one for up to 180 days without worrying about additional fees, penalties, or interest rates increasing (CFPB, 2020).

HEROES Act

The HEROES Act is a massive, 3 trillion proposal, even more, ambitious than the 2.2billion CARES Act (Fay, 2020). The HEROS Act is something that hasn’t been fully passed but is in the process of evaluation. Families earning 75,000 would get one 1,200 stimulus check (Fay, 2020). Couples earning up to 150,000 would be eligible for 2,400. The HEROS Act pays 1,200 per child maximum number of dependents is three. The HEROS Act is paying more than double the CARES Act. The first stimulus check that was released allowed adult dependents but it excluded college students and immigrants. Anyone that didn’t have a Social Security card was not included either. Regarding the HEROS Act, all you require is a taxpayer ID number and you’ll be eligible for the second stimulus check.

Stimulus Check

The U.S. government has released a stimulus check in response to the COVID-19 hardship. The purpose of the stimulus check was to boost taxpayers’ spending power and spur economic activity. The amount of the disbursement fluctuates per family. If you’re a single person without children you receive an amount of 1,200. If you have children you get 500 increments per child. It’s still up in the air at this time if there will be a second stimulus sent. The majority of families spend the money to pay their mortgage and food products. Some people had positive and negative feedback regarding the amount received. In all reality who will randomly loan you 1200 dollars during a pandemic? The chances are little to none.

Unemployment Benefits

As hundreds of American struggles to provide food on the table and provide for their families many are going to governmental assistance such as unemployment benefits. There were roughly 24,975,778 people that filed for unemployment (Walczak., VanAntwerp, 2020). There were so many claims within the database of the Department of Economic Security that the system crashed. Since the majority of businesses are not hiring due to the COVID-19 people are not required to put references to locations they’ve applied at. Regarding, self-employed individuals the Department of Labor developed the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) for those that have lost work due to the crisis. The new data shows that 10,512,761 people have applied and are receiving the PUA (Walczak., VanAntwerp, 2020).

Psychological Aspect

As the COVID-19 pandemic is being mitigated and we continue to be quarantined many may be noticing they’re having trouble remembering things or developing a small attention spasm. Some people may start forgetting things it’s like our body is in a daze. We have agenda-setting of the project we want to get done throughout the day and they don’t seem to get achieved. One may ask themselves what is going on with me? The pandemic and having little to no human interaction can be stressful. Not to mention a pandemic of this magnitude can become traumatic and upsurge depression. Keep in mind that COVID-19 has taken many lives which is heartbreaking and unbearable for some. Also due to the closure of the school parents are dealing with homeschooling. Everyone at this time is undergoing some sort of unpleasant emotions about this pandemic.

There is Help

Psychologist manages to shine some light during these troubling times because they’re a call away and ready to help. Psychologists are not the only heroes we have some hotlines available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Some of the hotlines available to the public are Central Arizona Crisis Hotline, Domestic Violence Hotline, Child Abuse Hotline, Veterans Crisis Line, National Disaster Distress, etc. Some of the basic suggestions PsychologistPsychologists basic ismendationemendation are to limit listening, to the news that increases anxiousness and distress. Keep in regular contact with people close to you by phone. Avoid alcohol and drug intake to deal with fear, anxiety, boredom, and social isolation (World Health Organization, n.d). Psychologists are specialized in many categories such as dealing with depression, anxiety, insomnia, substance abuse, couples, family, and parenting difficulties (Menchola, n.d).

Children Distress

Adults are not the only ones experiencing distress at this time, and so are children. Some of us may have the impression that we’re too young to notice but that isn’t the case. Whether you have a 5-year-old or a 7-year-old they may have strong emotions about the crisis. Of course, all reactions are differently expressed some may be immediately shown some take time. Another important factor is that the emotions that they see their parent undergoing reflects off them. If the parents of the child are coping with the crisis calmly and confidently, they’re providing the best support for their children. On the other hand, if the parents are panicking and showing signs of distress this will take a toll on the children. The time children spend separated from school and family can create a great amount of stress and anxiety for children. Some of the emotional traits witnessed within infants of the age of 2 are irritability and wanting to be cuddled. Children between the age of 3-6 may develop old behaviors that they have outgrown such as having accidents on their bed or having separation anxiety. Older children such as 7 or 10-year-old are sad, mad, or afraid.

Help for Children

Some of the recommendations given to parents dealing with stressed-out children are to talk to them and reassure them that you will be there to protect them and keep them out of harm’s way. Be transparent with your kids and talk to them in a matter that they can comprehend the situation more. At the same time when you’re speaking with them, you want to keep it appropriate for each child’s age. Throughout this time, you’re creating a strong rapport with your child giving them the opportunity of opening up and speaking about their thoughts on the current situation. In other words, the children get the opportunity of venting and get things off their chest. In the long run, this will help children cope with the stress experienced throughout a pandemic.

How likely are we to be victims of a bioterrorist attack? There is, of course, no way to forecast with certainty the likelihood of a bioterrorist attack or any other type of terrorist attack. It’s important to be open-minded rather than close-minded. If we have the mentality of, “this will never happen here” we’re more vulnerable than ever. It’s important to be prepared for the unexpected and have a response plan generated. If we have an open mind there will be little to no room for failure but progression