For many of us, “sheltering in place” has been our main activity for the past month. It has reordered our lives, changed how we conduct business, impacted how we stay in touch with family and friends. The Covid epidemic has also created great concerns about whether and how soon our nation, our states, our cities and communities will return to their “new normal” routines.

I have been spending considerable time reporting on the real estate and construction industry, an important segment of our nation’s economy that spends $1.5 trillion annually, most of which has come to a halt. In interviews with the media or in blogs to clients I have stressed that there will be long term impacts to the industry that will need to come to grips with resourcing products routinely purchased overseas that will now need to be purchased domestically at higher cost; the loss of tens of thousands of small to medium sized contractors, suppliers and vendors of products and materials; and a severe shortage of skilled workers. I have made it clear to all that these impacts will disrupt the construction world over the next two years.

For an overview of how and when our nation will be addressing the many disruptive aspects of society, business and the medical responses being applied to gain control over the ongoing epidemic click here for the New York Times article "The Coronavirus in America: The Year Ahead"

“The next two years will proceed in fits and starts, experts said. As more immune people get back to work, more of the economy will recover. But if too many people get infected at once, new lockdowns will become inevitable. To avoid that, widespread testing will be imperative.

Dr. Fauci has said “the virus will tell us” when it’s safe.”