Post-pandemic, an even better community

For the past four months we have seen our world turned upside down with the spread of the COVID-19 virus. It began here Feb. 7, when the federal government sent American citizens who had been in Wuhan, China, where the virus began, to Joint Base

San Antonio.

At the local level, the city and county enacted emergency measures, such as social distancing requirements and the use of face masks. The majority of our economy continued to operate during this time, including manufacturing, construction, auto dealerships, information technology, financial and health care services, and transportation. As these companies continued their operations, we learned from them how we would be able to work amid the virus.

Now as more and more businesses open, we must continue to wear face masks and practice social distancing. We must also build consumer confidence to get our economy going. Twothirds of our economy is built on consumer purchases. I eat out almost every day and purchase goods from local retailers. I encourage you to eat at your favorite restaurant and buy something from local retail businesses.

Over the past four months, we have learned a lot about ourselves and our society. It is important we take these lessons and build a better society for our families and businesses.

First, we have learned from this crisis that this is not about

“me” but “us.” We are respecting each other by wearing face masks and keeping a social distance of 6 feet to protect the vulnerable. We are also building stronger neighborhoods and friendships, and connecting with family. People are walking their neighborhoods and sitting on lawns, meeting neighbors they never knew before. Our families are getting to know and appreciate each other. Let’s keep that up.

Second, we have found that working at home can have tremendous benefits. If you have young children, they can stay home with you, saving on child care. You will not waste time and money driving to work each day, then paying for parking. This will be a large saving to families.

More employees should be allowed to continue to work from home. One-fourth of the county’s workforce is doing just that. We are finding that in our court system, we are moving cases more efficiently. We intend to enhance that opportunity by investing $30 million in our IT department to accommodate the use of telework and e-government services. Many private companies, such as

USAA and Nationwide, are doing the same.

Third, we have learned that the justice system should not create hardened criminals by putting people in jail who have drug addiction and mental health problems and who have committed no violent offense. Our jail population is down by 800, and we have not seen a spike in crime.

Fourth, public and higher education need to change, offering more options to families to use distance learning. This will drive down the cost of education and make it more affordable. This is a generation that grew up online and interacts digitally, so online learning is a perfect fit.

Fifth, we have learned we need to close the digital divide. Bexar County’s all digital library, Bibliotech, has seen an increase in use of more than 20 percent. But many people still do not have internet connections in their home. So, we are loaning hundreds of Wi-Fi hot spots so families can connect to the internet at home. But it will take more than this local investment. We need the local, state and federal governments to step up and close the digital divide.

Sixth, we have learned we need to take better care of ourselves by eating right and exercising. The people who are dying because of COVID-19 have underlying health issues. We have a high rate of obesity in our community, the greatest cause of underlying health issues. Texas also needs to expand Medicaid. We are one of only 14 states that have refused to do so.

Seventh, to break the cycle of poverty, we need to enhance basic education and skilled job training. We need to retrain our workforce because jobs are going to change. More retail sales are on the internet. The use of automation and robotics will increase. More jobs will become available in technology and digital services. The county has set aside $35 million to retrain up to 5,000 workers.

We need to continue to build on the lessons that we have learned. We have a great opportunity to build a better, more just society if only we will.

Dina Manriquez, right, manager at Freestyle Clothing in Ingram Park Mall, greets a customer. As San Antonio reopens, we have the opportunity to improve our community in many ways.