Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • European Rubber Journal
  • Plastics News
  • Tire Business
web
Subscribe
  • Login
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Automotive
    • Tire
    • Non-Tire
    • Suppliers
    • Silicone
    • Latex
    • Coronavirus
    • Executive Action
    • Government/Legal
    • Opinion
    • Technical Notebooks
    • Women in Tire & Rubber
    • ITEC
    • International Elastomer Show
    • HEXPOL Sponsored Content
    • Failed takeover by Apollo a distant memory for Cooper
      Smithers opens driver, equipment testing center in Michigan
      Trelleborg divests U.K. offshore oil and gas operation
      Myers Industries raising prices citing material costs
    • Failed takeover by Apollo a distant memory for Cooper
      Smithers opens driver, equipment testing center in Michigan
      Trelleborg divests U.K. offshore oil and gas operation
      Myers Industries raising prices citing material costs
    • Trelleborg divests U.K. offshore oil and gas operation
      Myers Industries raising prices citing material costs
      Richard F. Grossman dies at 86
      ARPM readies for 2021 Environmental Health and Safety Summit
    • Arburg publishes its first sustainability report online
      Goldsmith & Eggleton introduces raw materials handling line
      Hexpol acquires Spanish wire and cable compounder
      New Products: Mahr Inc. introduces MarForm MMQ 500 Form Tester
    • New legacy taking shape at Stockwell Elastomerics
      Fenner opens new textile treatment line in Pennsylvania
      Stockwell Elastomerics' legacy moves on
      Larger mixers tout economies of scale, along with the need for speed
    • Ohio firm focuses on making better masks in U.S.
      U.S. to increase NBR, make gloves using Defense Production Act
      Tire Cologne canceled; rescheduled for 2022
      Tire Technology Expo canceled for 2021
    • New legacy taking shape at Stockwell Elastomerics
      Davis-Standard promotes Andrew Alaya to aftermarket sales role
      Harwick Standard adds Flores to West Coast sales team
      GM promotes Siemen to lead sustainability; Parker to retire
    • To boost U.S. microchip production, Biden administration must find supply chains weaknesses
      TIA among associations against increase to minimum wage
      9 Goodyear-Cooper Tire stories you may have missed
      Cooper recalling 430,000+ whitewall LT tires in multiple brands
    • New legacy taking shape at Stockwell Elastomerics
      Column: Discussions of race, equality may mean uncomfortable moments
      Column: Business trips possible because of essential workers
      Editorial: Associations see opportunity for progress under new administration
    • Studying RPA ASTM methods for detecting compound quality differences
      Damage mechanism in oil and gas formulations during downhole testing
      Advancements in synchronous drive belt design for industrial and consumer markets
      Effects of multiple repurposed materials for reinforcements of standard rubber compounds
    • Rubber Division introduces WORD webinar series
      WORD panelists say evolution, authenticity keys to success
      New video celebrates women in rubber industry
      ITEC panelists say women can thrive in tire industry
    • Goodyear recognized by Lockheed Martin as 'elite supplier'
      EV tire advancements to help secure future
      Lambillotte: Only question on AVs is timing
      CAR official says EV future brighter than autonomous
    • Rubber Division introduces WORD webinar series
      Rubber Division seeks abstracts for 200th Technical Meeting
      WORD panelists say evolution, authenticity keys to success
      IEC keynote: Communication key to logistics
    • Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      Faster Access to Your Polymer Compounding Experts Around the World
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      Take a walk thru a HEXPOL Lab
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      HEXPOL offers a unique selection of High Performance Elastomers to match your application requirements
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      It’s what you can’t see that makes the Difference at HEXPOL
  • Blogs
    • Products
    • Wacky World of Rubber
    • New Products: Mahr Inc. introduces MarForm MMQ 500 Form Tester
      New Products: Starrett expands field-of-view for multi-sensor vision system
      New Products: Nova thinks outside the box with sealing tech
      New Products: MonTech introduces 1,500 kN lab press
    • Wacky World of Rubber: How Trelleborg, teens sealed a spot in the world record book
      Wacky World of Rubber: Of chicken and feet, but not chicken feet
      Wacky World of Rubber: Time to go mattress shopping
      Wacky World of Rubber: Because nothing says football like 'frunk' shrimp
  • Newsletters
    • Rubber in Automotive
    • Silicone News
    • Latex News
    • Sign Up for Newsletters
    • Failed takeover by Apollo a distant memory for Cooper
      Smithers opens driver, equipment testing center in Michigan
      Trelleborg divests U.K. offshore oil and gas operation
      Myers Industries raising prices citing material costs
    • New legacy taking shape at Stockwell Elastomerics
      Fenner opens new textile treatment line in Pennsylvania
      Stockwell Elastomerics' legacy moves on
      Larger mixers tout economies of scale, along with the need for speed
    • Sri Trang Gloves starts major capacity expansion
      Synthomer dismisses takeover reports
      Combined Goodyear-Cooper Tire company has tire technology, sustainability edge
      Helixtap launches new digital marketplace for rubber
  • Multimedia
    • Videos
    • Photo Galleries
  • Directory
  • Resources
    • Classifieds & Mold Mart
    • Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • HB Chemical
      Sponsored By HB Chemical
      The HB Chemical and Ravago Partnership: Taking Customer Service to a New Level
      Sponsored By HB Chemical
      Above and Beyond with HB Chemical
      Sponsored By HB Chemical
      The Company Behind the Inventory
      Sponsored By French Oil Mill Machinery
      Process Improvement, Cost Reduction with Custom Press Systems
    • Sponsored By Uncountable Inc.
      Labs of the Future: How to Choose a Laboratory Information Management System in 2021
      Sponsored By Uncountable Inc.
      Cooper Standard deploys lab informatics platform to synchronize R&D
      Sponsored By Elkem
      LSR Select™: A solution to improve your financial impact in molding applications
      Sponsored By HEXPOL Compounding
      Peroxide Cureable Silicone Injection Molding
  • Data
  • Events
    • RPN Events
    • RPN Livestreams/Webinars
    • Industry Events
    • Past Events
    • ITEC Library
    • International Silicone Conference Library
    • 2021 Healthcare Elastomers Virtual Edition
      2021 Rubber in Automotive Virtual Edition
      2021 International Latex Conference Virtual Edition
      2022 ITEC
  • Advertise
  • DIGITAL EDITION
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. Coronavirus
March 24, 2020 05:20 PM

Column: With COVID-19 spreading across the globe, time is going by in a blur

Bruce Meyer
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print
    Leo Michael, Rubber & Plastics News

    I don't know how your last few weeks have gone, but if they were anything like mine—and I'm guessing that's a good bet—they flashed by in a hurry. With the coronavirus pandemic spreading its reach and impact, it seems like everything is happening in fast motion.

    And because this global phenomenon has varying effects on everyone, it's natural to view everything from your own personal perspective. So here's how time has looked like through my eyes.

    My first concern was immediately for my daughter, Molly, who is a nurse and also has asthma, which puts her in a high risk category and on the front lines of that battle at the same time. She has given my wife practical advice throughout the coronavirus' progression, and is an example of why health care workers will be among the heroes of the stressful and dangerous event.

    Then COVID-19 became very personal to our family. Our niece, Amy, became one of the "faces of coronavirus," as she was the second person in our county to test positive. While some people were still "blaming the media" and calling this health threat a hoax, she bravely shared her story on Facebook. Her post went viral, being shared more than 25,000 times, and leading to appearances on local and national media.

    Thankfully, as of this writing, and while still suffering, Amy appears to be on the road to recovery. Her story also gave me some thoughts as to how a virus like this can cross the world in a heartbeat. While they haven't been able to trace the direct cause of her exposure—her family and others with whom she was in contact haven't shown symptoms—her ex had been in contact with one of their children. The ex actually works in our industry and recently returned from attending an overseas tire-related event. Other attendees from his company had come in from Italy, which at the time was just about to be hit by one of the most widespread—and deadly—outbreaks of coronavirus cases.

    I am not saying in any manner that this is how my niece was exposed, but those of you who travel to expos, conferences and annual conventions in our industry know how many people you come into contact with.

    If you're at an expo, you may be going booth to booth, or hosting visitors at your own stand. During conferences and conventions, you're huddling closely during presentations and networking events. The days often start early and end late, and that often is followed by more travel and exposure to those at airports and on planes—not knowing where any of your fellow travelers have come from.

    While some travel and separation measures—including the now-common phrase "keeping a social distance"—may have seemed extreme at first, they also appear to be the best hope to "flattening the curve" (another new phrase) of the COVID-19 progression.

    Bruce Meyer

    The cancellations of nearly every sporting event certainly got the early attention, from there it was onto the impact of businesses and other aspects of everyday life. Unfortunately, it was inevitable that cutbacks would come. Again from a personal viewpoint, that included one of my oldest friends, who was laid off from his "dream job" that he had landed a little over a year ago. (He doesn't work in the rubber industry, but if anyone needs IT help in Northeast Ohio, I'll give him a great reference).

    Next was word that our parent company, Crain Communications, wanted every department to test working from home to ensure we can complete our publications remotely if our offices are officially shut down.

    That's probably a likelihood, especially because we live in Ohio, where Gov. Mike DeWine has been one of the most proactive in implementing measures to help keep COVID-19 from spreading. First it was keeping crowds under 500, then 100, then 50, then 10. Then it was closing down bars and restaurants except for takeout, followed a day later by measures that shut down most everything outside of grocery stores, pharmacies and a few other essential places.

    From there, news from our industry started heating up. There were meetings being canceled or rescheduled—including those organized by our publication and other Crain brands. Our whole spring travel season was basically shelved, as I'm sure many of yours were. Events such as the ACS Rubber Division, NAHAD's annual convention, the Clemson Tire Industry Conference and local rubber group meetings were among the casualties.

    It has been difficult trying to keep up with everything happening in our world of tire and rubber products that we need to keep pace with. We have to be ready to bring both the breaking items to your attention immediately on our website at rubbernews.com, as well as craft pieces that put everything in perspective for our print issues.

    Just the day I wrote this, that meant posting no fewer than 11 separate stories across our digital platforms, more than enough to keep our Online Editor Erin Pustay Beaven busy the entire day. Those stories included such breaking news as Goodyear's plans to temporarily halt tire production first in Europe, and then later in the day in North and South America. All this while the Detroit 3 auto manufacturers agreed to idle North American manufacturing sites as well.

    We are fortunate to be able to draw not only on our own talented staff, but also from the resources of our Crain sister publications, including Tire Business, Plastics News, European Rubber Journal and Automotive News.

    By the time you read this, I'm sure there will have been dozens of more updates. And it doesn't look like time will be slowing down anytime soon.

    Stay safe everyone.

    Meyer is editor of Rubber & Plastics News. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @bmeyerRPN.

    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Rubber & Plastics News wants to hear from its readers. If you want to express your opinion on a story or issue, email your letter to Editor Bruce Meyer at [email protected].

    SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Rubber & Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe Today

    Subscribe to Rubber & Plastics News to get the best coverage and leading insights in the industry.

    SUBSCRIBE
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    MISSION

    To serve companies in the global rubber product industry by delivering news, industry insights, opinions and technical information.

    web
    Contact Us

    2291 Riverfront Pkwy, Suite 1000
    Cuyahoga Falls,
    OH 44221

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1726

    Resources
    • About Us
    • Digital Edition
    • Contact the Staff
    • Advertise
    • Order Reprints
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    • Terms of Service
    • Careers
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Partner Sites
    • Tire Business
    • European Rubber Journal
    • Plastics News
    • Plastics News China
    • Urethanes Technology
    • Automotive News
    • Crain Brands
    Copyright © 1996-2021. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Automotive
      • Tire
      • Non-Tire
      • Suppliers
      • Silicone
      • Latex
      • Coronavirus
      • Executive Action
      • Government/Legal
      • Opinion
      • Technical Notebooks
      • Women in Tire & Rubber
      • ITEC
      • International Elastomer Show
      • HEXPOL Sponsored Content
    • Blogs
      • Products
      • Wacky World of Rubber
    • Newsletters
      • Rubber in Automotive
      • Silicone News
      • Latex News
      • Sign Up for Newsletters
    • Multimedia
      • Videos
      • Photo Galleries
    • Directory
    • Resources
      • Classifieds & Mold Mart
      • Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
    • Data
    • Events
      • RPN Events
      • RPN Livestreams/Webinars
      • Industry Events
      • Past Events
      • ITEC Library
      • International Silicone Conference Library
    • Advertise
    • DIGITAL EDITION