There seem to be two schools of thought about what people are reading during the pandemic. For some, they want to escape the world and read anything that isn’t related to the pandemic. Others can’t get enough information about it from personal stories, to data analysis, to global reactions and experiences. Teaching Cleveland has been reading some interesting connections to the pandemic.
The following two articles offer a great perspective on the current state of the world. The first is a fascinating account of Cleveland during the 1918-1919 Spanish Flu epidemic. Many of the same tactics used more than 100 years ago to try and control the epidemic are being used today. School closings and then opening with close monitoring of students, encouraging time outside for children but not in large groups and suspending public gatherings and assemblies of people. Check out this piece from the University of Michigan! It brings to mind the adage “the more things change the more they stay the same.” https://www.influenzaarchive.org/cities/city-cleveland.html#
Fortunately, some important developments in Cleveland have changed since 1918, including increased involvement of private organizations to help those most affected by the current pandemic. While the City of Cleveland did offer some financial support in 1918-1919, in 2019-2020 organizations such as Policy Matters Ohio have actively responded to the individual and communal suffering the current pandemic has imposed on so many. Policy Matters Ohio is a nonprofit policy research institute that has worked to create smart and compassionate policies in the areas of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, Congressional aid packages and the CARES Act. It has worked tirelessly to help those most affected by this crisis. https://www.policymattersohio.org/coronavirus-updates
