Since the beginning of this pandemic, there has been one question that everyone has been asking: how long until things get back to normal? But it’s time for us to face an unfortunate and ugly truth. We can’t return to normal. There is no getting back to normal…not for most people. 

It’s something that our leaders have yet to admit. It’s dark, scary, and uncertain. But how and when this pandemic is going to end is still unforeseeable. There are a lot of questions, but there are a few things we know for sure.

This isn’t something that people are going to recover from immediately. It could take years. People are already losing their jobs. In fact, some experts estimate the unemployment rate may already be up as high as 13%. This pandemic is going to hit working class Americans hard. Small businesses will be forced to close their doors, possibly forever, and their employees will be left out of work.

And then there’s the death toll…already more than 15,000. And the White House estimates that the final number will be between 100,000 and 240,000, but that’s optimistic. These aren’t just numbers. They’re people with jobs and families, and some of those families depend on their income. Some people aren’t only losing their loved ones but their means of survival, their providers.

Maybe it’s something that the leaders of our country haven’t considered because this will not impact them like it impacts others. Of course, this virus doesn’t discriminate between the poor and the rich, but members of Congress and those in high level government positions aren’t facing the possibility of losing their jobs. And while the virus doesn’t discriminate, our healthcare system does.

But the sad reality is, even after all of this, our nation’s leaders will carry on as if things have returned to normal. They will talk about the toll this took on the working class, and the resilience of the American people. But will they actually do anything to alleviate the pain? Will there be any policy to help the millions of Americans who lost their jobs? Will there be government bailouts to help those who lost their loved ones who supported their families with their jobs…or are those reserved for large corporations? Will there be healthcare reform so that if this ever happens again we can be prepared? No.

The response to this needs to be one of compassion and empathy. The discussion of the future of our economy can wait until the time comes. But we cannot wait to help the millions of Americans who will be impacted by this pandemic.

After this is all over, things will return to normal in Washington, D.C., but for some Americans and Virginians, things will never return to normal.