David Jenkins: Impact of coronavirus will be felt by everyone

In the last week I’ve had conversations with several people about the coronavirus with differing opinions.

Some don’t want to leave the house because they’re afraid they will contract the virus and possibly die while others weren’t worried at all to one who just laughed and said it was “fake news” brought on by the Democrats to get Trump out of office.

Despite my eye roll on the “fake news” comment, the fact is everyone will be impacted by coronavirus in some way. The fear of the unknown is often worse than the actual thing.

While I am a self-aware germaphobe, I’m not worried about catching the coronavirus and dying like some I spoke with. I’m not going to be taking a cruise or catching a flight anytime soon, but in reality, the flu is more deadly than the coronavirus. So while I really don’t want to get the coronavirus (or the flu either for that fact) I’m not gonna stress over catching it.

With that said, I am concerned over the impact the virus will have on all of us and it has already started. Just last week, Magnitude 7 Metals CEO said that the Marston plant could close in the next 60 days. In his interview, he mentioned the coronavirus as a contributing cause to the falling price of aluminum which is major reason for the possible closure.

If Magnitude 7 closes, that is 550 jobs, not only impacting 550 families, but also impacting the local economy. It will be the same thing we saw when Noranda closed a few years ago. Local counties saw a drop in tax revenue and the New Madrid County R-1 School District saw a drop in enrollment and funding. If that happens again, it can be partially blamed on the coronavirus and China basically shutting down for weeks.

It isn’t just Magnitude 7 that may be affected either. The entire economy could be impacted from the virus. Already the stock market has been up and down. If the virus triggers another recession, everyone will feel it, from CEOs to lowly reporters.

Not to mention it could have a huge impact on the upcoming general election. President Trump boasts about the economy and is campaigning on the fact that most people are better off now than they were four years ago. If a recession were to hit, sparked by the virus, it could change the whole election.

Not to mention people are afraid to gather in public places. I spoke to one person who wasn’t going to vote in Tuesday’s presidential primary because they didn’t want to be in a place with a lot of people. Granted, there won’t be many people at the polls Tuesday anyway, but there are important local elections in April, August and November of this year that could be impacted.

And there are other public gatherings that could be impacted. Think about going to a Cardinals game or even just a high school football game. If it worsens, how will that be impacted?

The coronavirus isn’t something I think people should freak out about, but to laugh at the virus is not seeing the whole picture. We will all be impacted in some way by the virus. I just hope the impact will be minimal and we can wash our hands of this problem rather quickly.

David Jenkins is co-editor of the Standard Democrat.