Anyone watching the news these days is well aware that we are seeing either the second or third wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Six months ago, it was all about when the “second” wave was going to hit. Not to be a Debbie Downer, but why not three or four waves, or more, before a vaccine is approved and distributed. And the last poll we saw indicated that perhaps up to 50% of the population would not get the vaccine. Will the waves then keep on rolling in?  

Less than 2.5% of the U.S population has tested positive for COVID-19, and while the percentage may not grow, the absolute numbers will. No matter how careful providers are being, it could still enter their buildings. What do you do if you are in the middle of selling your building and all of a sudden 20 residents die? Unfortunately, it is happening. Or what do you do if your state just gave the okay for in-person visits and tours, you notify all your families and the sales staff calls all the leads to “come on in,” and then there is a spike in your county or a staff member tests positive? Do you still move forward because the state said it was okay? Or do you err on the side of caution and upset family members and lose potential residents that you really, really need? It is a living Hell. 

There are no easy answers, and unfortunately, the entire COVID-19 problem has been politicized by both sides of the isle. Once again in the presidential debates, no one is focusing on the long-term problems of funding for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and health care in general. It is all about who can blame whom for the spread of the virus and the deaths of more than 200,000 citizens. Yes, President Trump should have been wearing a mask, and yes, White House Rose Garden gatherings should have taken better precautions. But then Nancy Pelosi should not have invited everyone to go to San Francisco’s Chinatown for dinner when the pandemic was beginning, and Joe Biden should not have called Trump xenophobic for stopping flights from China. They all make mistakes.  

But the blame game is not going to help stop the rising death toll. And as the death toll rises, and COVID spikes here and there, there is real damage to the entire senior living industry. For how long? Nobody knows, but next year is going to be a tough one, whether it is wave number three, or four or five. Let’s just hope the waves just get smaller.