The COVID-19 pandemic is still a major issue around the World since its global spread outside of China in early March 2020. In less than a month, the global number of confirmed coronavirus cases jumped from 10m at the end of June to 15m at the end of July. While many countries around the World are taking necessary precautions to decrease the spread of COVID-19, the United States of America has seen a significant increase in confirmed COVID cases during the Summer months (3.9 million).
After months of quarantine and complete shutdown of businesses across all industries, States began to slowly open up in different phases around Memorial Day. States such as Arizona, Texas, and Florida began opening up earlier and quicker than others due to pressures from certain government officials, a large number of the population in these states, and in an effort to help the state’s economy. Unfortunately, the number of positive cases in these states began to quickly increase as the idea of “social distancing” & preventative measures to decrease the spread of COVID-19 was seemingly abandoned due to political or “health” reasons. The Washington Post reported that the number of new positive cases in the US on July 24, 2020 totaled to 74,000. This single-day total makes it one of the highest since the pandemic hit the US in March 2020.
Whether the decision to remain in quarantine was voluntary or not, many individuals and families are making an effort to remain indoors and forego Summer travel plans. Instead, “staycations” have been the move for Summer 2020 as many are in financial crisis.
While staycations aren’t a new concept in 2020, the last time the number of staycation plans were higher/more prominent in the US was during the financial crisis of 2007-2010.
It is very important to continue efforts to decrease the number of COVID-19 cases by following social distancing guidelines. It’s equally important to monitor thoughts, actions, and emotions of family members and friends as isolation and loneliness can greatly effect mental health. Take time to schedule check-ins with family and friends to make sure they’re doing well and in positive head spaces. Communications can be over the phone, through FaceTime or Skype, or host a fun virtual happy hour via ZOOM.
It is easy to lay on the couch or in bed all day to watch tons of content provided on all the different streaming platforms. However, doing this same routine everyday eventually gets stale and may cause individuals to fall into a funk. Make the most out of staycations by adding new activities on a daily basis like cooking, outdoor walks, journaling, or reading. Staying indoors doesn't have to be a drag, check out these tips for staying sane during "Summer Staycation 2020":
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