Nadia Kiderman on Lessons from COVID-19

As we all take a look back at the various techniques that helped mitigate the loss of life during the Coronavirus pandemic, we had the opportunity to speak briefly with healthcare expert Nadia Kiderman about her own thoughts and feelings. Nadia Kiderman DDS has spent years of her life dedicated to consulting for various healthcare facilities. Her objective has consistently been to enhance the quality of care provided to patients. 

According to Kiderman, Israel has been a guiding light in the way they managed the Coronavirus pandemic. As The Jerusalem Post reported, Israel was swift in its preparation in anticipation of the virus’ outbreak. While the United States took a considerable amount of time downplaying the threat that the virus posed before it  took any action, Israel’s government was swift in its action seeking to close its borders and ensure that there wasn’t anyone with the virus contracted that was coming across its borders.

As we learn more and more about the virus, its nature and the possible risks for a second wave and outbreak, we are all seeking the answers to some questions that remain unanswered to this day. Are the continued restrictions that have been placed on our everyday lives to ensure adequate social distancing effective? Did they really make the desired impact that policymakers and lawmakers had hoped for when they were instituted?

There’s no question that the economic impact that social distancing had on restaurants, bodegas, small businesses and all those invested in the entertainment and hospitality industries was severely adverse. Many restaurants have even gone bankrupt as a direct consequence of the measures that were taken by our nation’s lawmakers in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Increasing amounts of data point to the fact that the travel restrictions that were put in place by the State Department proved to be very effective and likely saved hundreds if not thousands of lives. This was especially true of flights coming from China and its surrounding regions, where the virus originated from. Neighboring countries in the region and in Central Asia are still reeling in a recovery phase from the fallout of bordering China. Many of these nations did not take the necessary precautions in the wake of the virus to entirely restrict and terminate any flights that were taking place between their native countries and China. 

The American government did clearly make the correct decision in stopping all air traffic from China in the wake of the pandemic. For that, they should be commended. It  may not have been a politically correct or expedient decision to make, but it  did prove to pay big dividends in the end. The amount of human life that was likely preserved as a consequence of that decision was extraordinary; and for that, American government officials were clearly justified and prudent in their decision-making.

However when it comes to weighing the economic consequences that social distancing measures led to, there needs to be a balancing act conducted by responsible lawmakers. For although physical health of course needs to be our government officials’ top and primary priority, there also needs to be opportunity to assess the grave economic consequences such shut-down decisions can have on small businesses. 

And the data certainly bares that out. There were many small businesses especially those in the entertainment and hospitality businesses that were shut-down and literally suffered fatal consequences due to some of these restrictive measures that were taken. Human life is fragile; but when someone loses their lively hood there are real-time implications and ramifications on their health as well. For that reason, according to there needs to be a carefully crafted legislative process that is developed and curated over time to ensure maximum impact. According to the images that we all saw on Facebook, there were hundreds if not thousands of small businesses, restaurants and bars that had to close-down in the aftermath of this pandemic. This is a variable that should have been more critically accounted for by our policymakers.