When will the pandemic end? Hoping in hope or hoping in God

Starbucks is offering free therapy to all its employees, and for understandable reasons.

The number of identified coronavirus cases in the US surged past five thousand yesterday. The government’s economic stimulus is set to quickly balloon into trillion-dollar territory as the economy stalls from the coronavirus crisis. And the FAA has begun sending some employees home as coronavirus spreads among federal workers at airports. 

Young people are especially struggling with the social distancing that countries across the world are mandating. Since most of them will have mild symptoms if they become infected, many are finding it hard to remain isolated from their friends. 

But that’s exactly what everyone needs to do. A new study suggests that for every known case of coronavirus, another five to ten cases are undetected. These often-milder cases are responsible for nearly 80 percent of new cases. 

Having contact with other people puts people at risk of the virus. Even if a young person only has contact with another young person, the second person might then have contact with a parent, grandparent, or someone with an underlying health condition. And since an estimated 60 percent of Americans have at least one chronic health condition, there is no sure way for us to identify those we know who are in greater danger from the disease. 

This means that everyone must do what the authorities are calling us to do and engage in social distancing now. 

My foot surgery and returning to “normal” 

It would be so much easier to endure this crisis if we knew when it will end. 

For instance, I had foot surgery a few years ago. The pain of recovery was eased by the surgeon’s promise that it would improve over time and return to “normal” in a few months. If I had to endure that pain with no end in sight, it would have been much more debilitating. 

This is where we find ourselves today with COVID-19. One of the questions…