Buffalo, NY (WBEN) - As the rate of vaccinations continues to rise, and Covid cases and hospitalizations fall, the question of when we return to normal becomes more and more important.
In the UK, the government released a "Roadmap out of lockdown" document that details what steps will be taken in the reopening process with coinciding dates that give citizens an idea of when to expect them to happen.
No such guidance has been released on a federal level, or in New York state. As we project that there will be enough vaccine doses to cover 130 Million Americans by the end of the month, is it time to create a Covid exit plan?
"I think that would be helpful," said Dr. Joe Chow, Medical Director at WNY ImmediateCare. "Having that goal to reach for that's well communicated to the entire populace would be a nice thing to have."
Communication has been an issue in recent months, with epidemiologists often painting different pictures of how effective the vaccine is by stressing at different times extreme caution or the likelihood that the available Covid vaccines nearly eliminate the risk of transmission.
Dr. Chow said not only would it be helpful to have a roadmap toward normal, but a clear definition as to what normal will look like could also help people better understand their role in bringing the country back.
In the state of Utah, the government has updated its public health order to give residents a better idea of when mask mandates could be lifted. The state said that eight weeks after enough vaccine doses have been allocated to cover 70% of the state's eligible population, masks will not be required in counties designated as having a "low" transmission level of the virus. No long-term guideline on reducing restrictions has been given in New York.
"I agree completely (with making a plan to move forward)," said Dr. Todd Ellerin, infectious disease specialist at South Shore Health. "When we talk about the coordination between the Feds and the states, this is really what we're taking about here... I do believe that any American that wants to get vaccinated could be eligible by summer."
Not only could a roadmap help bring people together toward a common goal, but it could have a major impact on businesses still looking for the best way to bounce back from a year of losses.
"I think as human beings, we like to know where we're going, and I think it's awfully hard to run your business if you're a small business owner or even be flexible enough if you're an employee to say 'who knows what's going to happen next?'" said Jill Schlesinger of Jill on Money. "If you benchmarked things to data points it would be a lot better."
That goes beyond Covid data. Schlesinger said that if things like enhanced unemployment rates were connected to the unemployment rate it could help set reasonable expectations for people trying to forecast their finances. The trouble with setting benchmarks for lifting restrictions she said, would only come if those benchmarks were not met.
In the meantime, the UK is set to see the beginning of the light at the end of the tunnel next week. On March 8, all students will return to face to face education in schools. The government said that by that date, everyone in the top four vaccine priority groups will have received the first dose and developed necessary protection from it.
