From the Editor: Keep in mind, we’re all in this together

These are unprecedented times.

With the litany of scary headlines during the past two weeks, starting with the topsy-turvy stock market and everything from casinos to ballparks — or even a mine in Peru operated by one of the Valley’s biggest public companies — being closed to try to halt the spread of the novel coronavirus, it’s understandable that fear of the unknown is rampant.

It’s like those first few hours after 9/11 when the whole world seemed upside down — except that feeling is lingering even longer.

One prominent Valley economist had been telling me for 18 months that we wouldn’t see a recession unless something hit us out of the blue, likely from outside the country. I wish he hadn’t been as prescient. But looking past the economic disruption, he still expects we’ll see light at the end of the tunnel in a few months.

The Business Journal’s staff members are experiencing the same feelings that you are. Most of our employees are working remotely from home, and for some of them it’s a strange adjustment while getting used to that odd feeling of lack, of separation from the office and home environment. 

But know that we are with you. More than ever, we know we need to give our loyal readers the unvarnished view of what the business community is going through. We want to tell your stories, and we want you to be able to count on us, to still send out our morning and afternoon edition email newsletters or breaking news alerts and to deliver our weekly print edition in its hard copy and digital forms.

Many of you went through the recession here a decade ago, or even the banking crisis in the 1980s, and also know what it felt like in the past couple of years when the Valley economy rolled into high gear. In fact, I am already hearing from businesses that see opportunities arising amid the chaos, and I hope you will reach out to me and our various beat reporters and let us know those ideas.

I think that more employers who had been on the fence will now finally see the value in telecommuting. I think one of the legacies of this situation will be that many more people will end up working from home by choice. The crisis has also exposed many of the severe shortcomings of the U.S. health care system, so I would expect politicians and industry leaders can come together to create solutions that make things simpler and, in many cases, less expensive.

Through it all, just remember that we’re in this together.

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