How long can the economy last with the shutdown of almost everything?

A bit if the government stimulus for workers lasts till people get back to work.
Right away if the government doen’t help the working person and people lose their homes and more.

I don’t know but I think we are about to find out !

I’m thinking it’s very possible the virus will be permanent (Endemic) but once it burns through 50% of the population and assuming we become immune once we’ve had it (the experts don’t know if we do get immune) then we will go back to a much more normal routine, but there will be outbreaks in places and they will try to quell the spread when they happen.

China is starting to reopen businesses.

Hospitals will be better equipped.

People will be aware they should keep emergency supplies.

Kids will have to trick or treat on Halloween, because they still won’t be able to get toilet paper.

Schools will have alternate teaching methods worked out.

Some people will start saving emergency funds.

Some people will hide money in their back yards and flower beds.

We had a cat named Rocky. And we moved to a place that got a lot of snow from a place where there was never snow.

Rocky was a awesome cat. Really active, loved to be outside chasing squirrels. Then one night we got a heavy snow and Rocky was outside. He took shelter under a car. The snow came up so fast he was essentially buried under the car for a week. But the snow melted and Rocky emerged. He was in bad shape, but alive.

Rocky was never the same. He got really fat and never went outside again. I guess cats can get PTSD too.

People and the economy are a bit like Rocky. After having it good for a while you start doing shit like chasing squirrels at 2AM and buying SUVs even though nothing is wrong with your current car.

Then you get a shock. And you get fat since you now know what it is like to starve. And you don’t want to be hungry again. So you save. And that slows the economy. Even if things were to return to normal in a month there is some mental damage done here. Rocky died years later fat as hell and on the couch, he was still a young cat.

Luckily people have shorter memories than Rocky and will eventually get back consuming the fuck out of everything. But it will take some time to undo the mental damage that has been done here.

What a bleak commentary of the human intellect.
Unlike your cat, humans use their voices to make known their predicaments, and invite help towards them. Unlike your cat, people have someone on the other side of the snow caring enough to seek and assist.

What a shame that cat was allowed to self destruct.