By Philip Haldiman
Twitter: @PhilipHaldiman

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the webinar has become the predominant way employees and groups of people communicate.

The cyber communication has allowed communities to come together and collaborate during a time when social distancing has stalled much of the activity.

Three experts recently shared their thoughts on the pandemic at two locally based webinars — Economist Elliott Pollack, Mayo Clinic Arizona CEO Dr. Richard Gray and civil rights activist Rev. Jarrett Maupin.

An emergent theme was the need for businesses and people to follow CDC guidelines — including wearing masks when around groups of people — if there is hope for the economy to recover from this pandemic anytime soon. Another theme was that the pandemic is not over yet.

Learn more about the discussion here.

The economist

Mr. Pollack said there are three things going on at same time right now that should be considered before the economy comes back — jobs, masks and more relief.

He said the economy still has a way to go, but it is not going to recover unless consumers are willing to go out and spend. But, he said, people won’t patronize businesses unless they feel it is safe to do so. This means wearing masks to prevent the spread of the virus.

“It’s a good start, but don’t screw it up,” he said.

On jobs: There were more jobs last month — the unemployment rate was down. But we are still down 17.5 million jobs. The jobs came back exactly where you would expect: leisure and hospitality — restaurants, bars, hotels, things like that. Also education and health services — all those delayed procedures in health care. And also construction because the housing market remains on fire, and trade. But as long as people are concerned about COVID, you’re not going to get sufficient spending to get enough hiring to get things back to normal.

On masks: Dead seriously, you can’t have a big resurgence in COVID-19 — I hate to give California any credit here because they don’t deserve it, but in California, they do force people to wear masks before they go into any business or restaurant. And if you have a resurgence [of the virus] in Arizona, it is going to slow the economic recovery, so basically don’t treat it like it is over. I know it is an invisible enemy, most of you haven’t seen it, you probably don’t even know people who have had it. It’s real. So wear masks, wash your hands, assume everybody else has it, stay away from crowds, and this will allow the economy to recover more quickly. This thing really isn’t over until you get a vaccine or something that takes care of the symptoms.

The doctor

Dr. Gray said there is no question there has been an uptick in cases, and COVID-19 has had serious effects. To flatten the curve, CDC guidelines should be followed, including wearing a mask when around groups, he said.

“We’ve seen the number of deaths that have happened in Arizona and across the country and there are a lot of people that get very sick from this,” he said. “I always start with that impact — when someone’s health is severely affected like that, it’s a big deal and it creates a lot of fear. That is in the context that most people with COVID-19 do fine with it, but certainly those who do get sick, get a lot more sick.”

On flattening the curve: We did a good job in March and April and early May in Arizona at flattening the curve. We did not have an overwhelming wave. We were actually affected less than other areas. And I said from the beginning that was buying us time, but that we couldn’t just say it’s buying us time to sit and wait and hope it would just go away. It was buying us time to prepare and innovate. I think a lot of people have done that. But too many people have now approached this as, “Ok, we waited this out, and now we go back to normal,” and that’s where we are running into problems.

On how businesses are reacting to the pandemic medically: I think there is a mixed bag. I think those that get the most attention are those that are not doing well, doing risky things. I think a lot of people are trying their best and doing very well. It’s not really that hard to know what to do. The CDC guidelines are very good, they are very clear. We just need to read them and actually do them.

On consumer confidence: I really thought coming into our re-opening, the governor was wise in counseling business leaders to think about consumer confidence; to do things in your business that will give consumers confidence that they will be safe in your establishment. I think that what we have unfortunately seen is that a lot of those consumers don’t appear to have the level of concern they should and so they’re willing to take advantage of whatever they can. So I do think business leaders owe it to their staff and they owe it to their customers to make sure both are staying safe. As much as we want to have business revived, we need to do so in new and different ways to adjust to the new normal.

The activist

Rev. Maupin has been a long-time leader for civil rights in Arizona and has been active locally in response to the Minneapolis police officer responsible for the fatal arrest George Floyd.

He said on a national and local level, the conversation will need to shift toward more equal public safety policies to see progress in civil rights.

He is President of Humanity Organized Promoting Equality, a group formed in the advocacy tradition of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Rev. Maupin said the group works to protect, defend and gain civil rights by leveling the economic and educational playing fields, and in effect, giving a voice to the voiceless

On public safety policy: Right now national issues are driven by the George Floyd protests. As the justice system works its way through the indictments and the prosecution of those officers, and with the rage in those communities, we really need to pivot into conversations about policy. So nationally we are moving towards what are the solutions we want to see from the federal government. There have been examination of laws that protect officers from adverse actions they might commit on the job, making it hard to sue or seek criminal prosecution. So we will seek change in that aspect. There are really a lot of great people in the Congressional Black Caucus that are leading that particular effort.

On race relations in Arizona: You have what is going on in each of the individual states, and for once, with the race issue, I am really proud to be from the state of Arizona because we have been at the forefront of what is going on. We had almost immediate meetings with Gov. Ducey and more interestingly with Attorney General Mark Brnovich. He wants to prosecute officers in the counties. He doesn’t really have that ability, he has to be invited in by the county attorney. And I think as the state’s top law enforcer, he should have that discretion and that choice.

Philip Haldiman
Senior News Editor | Peoria
@PhilipHaldiman

phaldiman@iniusa.org

Meet Philip
Haldiman is an award-winning journalist who most recently took first place for investigative reporting in 2023 from Arizona Newspapers Association. He joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2015, covering Sun City West his first year. Since 2016, he has covered the city of Peoria. Prior to coming to INI, he was a reporter with The Arizona Republic for seven years, covering numerous cities throughout the Valley. Before that, he was a freelance writer.

Community: Haldiman spearheads the Peoria Independent Hometown Heroes Awards program, honoring local individuals and businesses that give back to the community. He has hosted local candidate forums over the years and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. Haldiman also served as a member of the Journalism Program Community Advisory Board at Glendale Community College. Outside journalism, Haldiman served as a member of the city of Peoria Complete Count Committee for the Census, 2019-2020. Lastly, he has served as a member of his HOA governing board since 2021.

Education: Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications and a BA in Theater. 

Random Fact: Haldiman is a fourth-generation Arizonan as well as wrote and produced an autobiographical comic book about his time spent in Hollywood and his life as a cult film star.

Hobbies: He enjoys hiking Arizona’s mountainous landscapes and is currently working on a play for the stage.