‘React & Adapt': Surviving the Coronavirus Pandemic

COVID-19 has changed our lives over the past five months and I’m sure many of us are wondering what life will be like IF there is no vaccine discovered in the near future.

Five months from now would take us to mid-January and I can only guess coming off a less than jolly holiday season.  How would we manage on a daily basis if the pandemic is still very much a threat to health, safety and the economy? Let me echo the words of many football coaches who in speeches to their teams and players might be heard saying the key to success is learning to “React & Adapt.”

In all honesty you could likely use those words for anything and they do sum up how many, especially in the business world, have handled things since coronavirus became a part of our daily language.  Here in New Jersey with so many restrictions in place on businesses it’s been more a case of “React, Adapt or Die” as Governor Murphy has made it tough for many to stay afloat.

However from this has emerged many creative concepts that not only kept doors open but also kept people employed.  We only need to look at the restaurant/bar industry at the Jersey Shore to see what can be done to generate revenue during an unprecedented crisis.

Outdoor dining has been a saving grace for many places with owners “rolling up their sleeves” and finding a way to make it work.  It has not been easy and it’s far from perfect but it is that industrious spirit and refusal to be denied that has provided a beacon of light to an industry that is vital to the economic welfare of our area.

Many other businesses were closed for months and then had to re-invent themselves and while the future may be a giant unknown they will not go down without a fight.

The bottom line is we need to understand that the pandemic is likely not ending anytime soon which means that the way things used to be are simply not any longer.  Don’t bother saying “but we don’t do it that way” because the truth is THAT WAY was yesterday and we need to focus on today and tomorrow.

“React & Adapt” is the only way we get through this.