Partial and Provisional Economic and Financial Activity Cessation (PEFAC) at National or Global level

a strategical “socio-economic and financial induced coma” to prevent Worldwide Financial Crises and Economic Collapse amid the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) COVID-19 pandemic

 March 25, 2020, Adrian Toader-Williams, Ph.D. – Bioeconomist

Amid the coronavirus threat that reached pandemic proportions, the Government imposed the social distancing and the need for people to stay home. The State of Emergency is declared. Many industries are affected, leading to financial distress with an impact on the economy. Proper measures are in place to protect the people and the business environment. If we do not act in a timely fashion and address the issue correctly, the financial and economic disaster likely will reach catastrophic proportions.

During the State of Emergency, any financial help, any infusion of Government aid funds as financial assistance to companies, such as stimulus package or other names, it is NOT a good idea and is NOT justified. If the activity stopped, the people would receive direct personal assistance. Companies’ financial obligations, as well as their financial expectations, will have to come to a freeze until all our activity as society begins to function after lifted State of Emergency. Basically, for such companies, the time stops into an “induced coma.” And that is especially the case for companies engaged in activities that are not Life-related. Such financial aid will not be efficient in a time when all possible resources need to be concentrated towards the health care area, saving people Lives, finding solutions, and cures in overcoming pandemics. Humanity must protect the most valuable natural resource, namely the human resource, the people. Protect ourselves.

The present article intends to be an essential guideline recommendation that needs to be adapted to every country’s needs and specific conditions as it can be agreed upon by specialists and government officials. Some may identify this guideline to better understand the proposed strategy and process, as a call for “financial ceasefire,” or “take a financial break,” or an invitation to “take a financial breath.” I call it PEFAC, during a socio-financial-economic “induced coma.” Regardless of how we may call it, the proposed and recommended strategy will reduce the impact of pandemics upon the future of the economy.

At this time, the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) COVID-19 is affecting 195 countries and territories around the world ( https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ ) with more than 434.000 cases, more than 19.000 deaths, and the numbers are growing.

In such situations, the main scope and interest become the protection of people, protection of people’s lives, and eradicating the virus and its effects. Still, at the same time, we need to protect the future of our people, respectively, preventing a financial and economic collapse.   

During pandemics, to attenuate the State of Emergency impact upon the economy, it is essential, first of all, to identify the two main types of country’s economic activities:

1) Not BASIC Life-supporting needs related activities and 2) BASIC Life-supporting needs related activities, split them apart, and address them in a specific way until the crises are over.

 The Partial and Provisional Economic and Financial Activity Cessation (PEFAC)

 Money, power, and accumulation of goods have no value if we are sick or worst. None have any value if they are obtained by sacrificing human Lives. Let’s keep our hands clean and our consciousness pure. We have to know that are times when we have to say “enough is enough,” and for some time, we need to slow down and rearrange our priorities. Life and our Environment first than our status, preferably “alive and clean.”

Time virtually will stop temporary for some segments of our economy and all related financial obligations and transactions (as an induced socio-financial-economic induced coma) until the crises will be over. Time will restart, and business will start as usual from where we left it as almost nothing happened from the business point of view. No income, no expenses. The company still exists, the employees are there hopefully healthy, the capital is there in the same place as we left it there.

We need to put a temporary stop to some of our economic and financial activities that are NOT directly related to Life-Sustaining basic-needs. Once we return to our operations, time restarts as almost nothing happened. We start it where we left it. To do so, we need to separate the need from want, the necessity from desire, our Life, basic needs from our pleasures, hobbies, and habits, will offer us more enjoyment if we exist if we are healthy next to our loved one.

Now we need to keep it simple so we can continue later to travel, play and enjoy Life. So, let’s help to stay alive for now!

Once we identify the two main types of economic activities, they will be branched apart, as described in table 1 and Figure 1. We will virtually consider the time stopped for the Not BASIC Life-supporting needs related activities (1). Such enterprises, production, and services will stop their business as well as their contractual financial obligations and expectations.

All not life-supporting related enterprises will have to come to a standstill, to a frozen status. The employees simply stay at home.

The employees will be able to come back to their workplace after pandemics are over, after the State of Emergency. During the health crises, under the State of Emergency, the workers will not receive any payments, nor salaries, but will receive direct social assistance for food, utility bills, and medical care.

The rent and mortgage payments will come to a standstill with no dues, no interest or penalties of any kind for the State of Emergency period and even longer as to allow proper recovery. I recommend a gradual reintroduction of financial obligations and expectations.

All the payment dues under contract will cease between all parties, regardless if they are banks, private persons, companies, all government agencies. All agreements come to a standstill until the pandemics and the State of Emergency are over.

Also, the stock market should be brought to a standstill, time freeze, while banks should reduce their cash-out activity. I recommend price control of essential goods along with limiting the quantity of food and other goods purchases to prevent abuse and assure proper distribution, avoiding eventual waste due to time expiration of products.

It will be ideal if the World’s States and Governments will come to a mutual agreement to sign a Declaration of “Global Partial and Provisional Economic and Financial Activity Cessation” (Global PEFAC). This way, all our differences will be put away, and humanity will demonstrate that it can act as one when it comes to protecting Human Life.

 The Human Resource represents the most valuable natural resource it can exist.

Protecting Lives should be our main priority now and always 

As opposed to the above Not BASIC Life-supporting needs associated activities (1) for which the time stopped, all BASIC Life-supporting needs related activities (2) will continue at a higher rate as it will be required to overcome the pandemics (see Table 1).

The Government will allocate the relief funds as disaster aid directly to people, such as to protect and serve the people immediately as well as for the long term. The assistance covers the expenses for medical care, prescription drugs, medical equipment, and protection from virus, nutritious food, clean air and water, law enforcement to assure order and safety.

Will continue to function only the enterprises directly engaged in producing any necessary equipment and protective gear required for medical, pharmaceutical, food production, communication, and utility providers. They will receive direct payments from Government Aid.

During a health crisis, the State of Emergency should not be a time for opportunities and to make profits and accumulate goods. Such moments are an opportunity to take a step back, reflect, and demonstrate that we, the human species, are one of the most precious gifts from God and the way to say thank you. To show respect to ourselves, to our Environment, to our Life support, and to demonstrate ourselves that we can act as one in total Unity. Now we can prove that we are capable of making “order out of chaos” ( Ordo ab Chao ).

Let us prove to ourselves Wisdom, be the Force that keeps the unrighteous away, and thoroughly enjoy the Beauty of our soul. Let’s be kind; let’s come to our senses.

It is a moment to demonstrate that we are capable of reconstructing ourselves as individuals and implicitly as a community towards Perfection. We can be the Architects of our own Life.

It is a moment to demonstrate that we learn from our mistakes, and among us, the people, we have no human enemy. Our enemy, as the history of humankind shown, is the lack of understanding of our origins and meanings. Now we are recognizing the beauty of Life itself and the importance of our Life supporting Environment, the lack of trusting each other, and not enough belief in the power of Love.

Saving Lives and protecting humans, our health, and our living conditions will turn into an opportunity for all of us to grow not only economically but more important as people with higher consciousness. It is why any infusion of relief funds as financial assistance to companies engaged in activities that are not Life-related is not the way to do now.

All possible resources need to be concentrated now for saving Lives and reduce virus transmission as to overcome pandemics and protect the people, the human resource, the future.

The coronavirus outbreak, from an optimistic point of view it is also an occasion to find the unthinkable solutions very thinkable. I present here is not just a possible solution. It is also a direct to the point and much more natural solution to apply function, as seen in Figure 1.

It is easier to control and manage than a so-called stimulus package, a massive bill designed to shield the economy of a country from the most drastic consequences of pandemics, such as is the case in the United States of America where politicians are arguing about it pro and contra.

Such a “stimulus package” will deepen the economic crises in time and spreading Worldwide, echoing into significant inflation.

What good will do if the stocks will go up while the buying power of currencies will go down?

As I said before, “society as a whole is as a living macro-organism, and each one of us represents its vital parts.”

Now, this Macro-organism must be going temporarily into a “socio-economic and financial induced coma” thereby to assure its health-recovery by lowering its social metabolism.

The “Partial and Provisional Economic and Financial Activity Cessation” (PEFAC) can also be applied only at a national level as “National PEFAC.” It will be preferred the Global level given the international agreements in effect.

Let’s together overcome the difficult times we face those days. Without an infusion of aid money into the small businesses and large industries while being under a PEFAC.

After the State of Emergency period, once we are all returning to routine activity, nobody will feel much difference. All it will be picked it up from where it was left as the time virtually froze and all investors, all financial interests were simply time-traveling, returning perhaps even more rested after a long break. Let’s call it an imposed vacation!

I wish all of you all the best, health and happiness! God bless all of us!

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