Page 24 - BusinessWest December 22, 2021

COVID-19
Actually, COVID wasn’t one story; it was per- haps a dozen different stories all happening at once, some of which you’ll read about below. There was the virus itself, which evolved into dif- ferent variants, including Delta and, most recent- ly, Omicron. But there were many side effects from the pandemic, each one being a big story in its own way.
That list includes vaccinations — and there are several different aspects to that story — and also ongoing changes to the workplace, a workforce crisis spawned in many ways by the pandemic, supply-chain shortages, inflation generated by huge amounts of money being infused into the economy at a time when there were shortages of many items, and much more.
The news that everyone had been waiting for
“In most all respects, things were much better in 2021 than they were in 2020, but ‘normal,’ as in pre-COVID, was elusive for many businesses, large and small.”
— the lifting of all restrictions placed on busi- nesses as a result of COVID — came just before Memorial Day. BusinessWest announced this criti- cal turn with the cover headline ‘The Next Stage.’ In actuality, the next stage wasn’t all that most businesses thought it would be, as many of them
were now facing new challenges, such as severe labor shortages, the inability to order parts and
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and, much later, matters regard- ing vaccination (more on all these later).
Still, in most all respects, things were much better in 2021 than they were in 2020, but ‘nor- mal,’ as in pre-COVID, was elu- sive for many businesses, large and small. From car dealerships with very few new cars on the lots — and used cars taking up showroom space — to restau- rants having to close an extra
day during the week because they couldn’t get enough help, there were many signs that the pandemic wasn’t going to be rel- egated to the past tense any time soon. And with the number of cases and hospitalizations spik- ing this month, it seems certain there will be a ‘year 3’ of COVID — and, for now, great uncertainty about what that will bring.
The Workforce Crisis
Perhaps the most enduring image from this past year, at least within the business community, was the help-wanted sign. It appeared in the window of every kind of business imaginable, from restaurants to manufactur- ing plants; from roofing compa-
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COVID-19:
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for help. And most of them still are.
nies to landscapers; from golf courses to super- markets. The list goes on. Everyone was looking
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