If you haven’t figured it out from the title, or the picture above, Covid-19 and Come On, Eileen fit identically within the same melody line and this socially-distanced blogger may be a little bit too excited about it.

It is nice to hear the term Covid-19 not followed by the terms “crisis” or “pandemic” or “death-toll.” Even though all of the above are true, the onslaught of bad-news-getting-worse over the last few weeks has been, at times, too much to bear, and apparently, 80’s pop songs help.

It is a serious issue, however – the coronavirus pandemic has claimed the lives of more than 10,000 people worldwide and as the virus continues to spread, that number will continue to increase. If you don’t work in the healthcare or grocery industry, you’ve likely been forced to work from home and urged to stay in your house, away from people, as much as possible. It’s a strange time in America. It’s a strange time on Earth, really. We are facing a global crisis – one that affects every single human being on the planet! We all truly are in this together, which is something to keep in mind when figuring out this whole social distance, quarantine thing.

Coronavirus Precautions to Protect the Population

With the virus confirmed in all 50 states and testing beginning to show just how many people are infected, the Federal and many State Governments are placing massive restrictions on public life:

• This past Monday, residents of the San Francisco Bay Area were issued a shelter-in-place mandate, requiring that they stay at home and only leave for necessities. The mandate is scheduled to remain in place until April 7th.
• Just yesterday, California Governor, Gavin Newsom, issued a statewide stay-at-home order, which essentially mimics the shelter-in-place mandate on a larger scale.
• In our own state of Pennsylvania, Governor Tom Wolf ordered that all non-essential (meaning non-life sustaining) businesses close immediately as the state braces for what is expected to be an exponential increase in the number of coronavirus cases. Businesses in violation of the order could face strict penalties.
• While schools across the country have closed temporarily, Kansas recently announced that all K-12 schools will be closed through the end of the school year.
• Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, announced Friday he is ordering all employees of non-essential businesses to stay home and not commute to work. His order also bans large gatherings statewide.
• On the Federal level, The United States’ borders with Mexico and Canada will close to all non-essential travel as early as Saturday. The government is also urging all Americans NOT to go abroad under any circumstances and to return immediately if they currently are abroad.
• The Governor of Illinois, J.B. Pritzker, is expected to announce a statewide stay-at-home order today.

It’s likely that other states are not far behind when it comes to forced business closures and restrictions on public gatherings. The only way to really slow the spread of the virus is for people to distance themselves from each other.

Life as a “Non-Essential” Business in the Age of Coronavirus

While we may politely disagree with our classification as non-essential, Messa & Associates, P.C. has taken advantage of all the 21st Century has to offer and is fully functioning from remote work spaces. All attorneys and staff in need were provided with computers, web cams, microphones, scanners, and whatever else is necessary to operate a single personal injury law firm from 40 different places. We’re proud to report that we haven’t missed a beat with regard to litigating active cases and we’re also actively signing up new ones!

If you or a loved one have suffered injury or death due to medical malpractice, defective products, motor vehicle crash, or some other type of negligence, don’t hesitate to call us at 215-568-3500. We are available Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 5:30pm via phone calls and/or video-conferencing to discuss your potential claim. We’re also available 24/7 via web-chat or text message on the bottom right-hand corner of your screen.

Covid-19 is definitely changing our lives but it won’t change the mission of Messa & Associates. We are dedicated, pandemic or no pandemic, to achieving peace of mind and financial security for families burdened by injury.

Stay safe and STAY HOME!