The global coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has ushered in a revolution that will affect our social, economic and political realities. The risk for countries with existing major structural weaknesses — which will not be able to absorb this shock — is disintegration and anarchy. The US is no exception to the global rules of pandemics. The US is not going to survive COVID-19 without huge financial, social and political losses. This event is predicted to peak in May, although it may take much longer to develop a vaccine. The decontamination effort alone will take at least three months after the peak of deaths, and is likely to prolong the national agony. Every American street and pathway must be cleaned with disinfectant, just like what has been or is being done in China, the Middle East and South Asia. The sooner the spraying of disinfectant ends, the sooner America can move into the near future of the economy. COVID-19 needs to be cleaned up by November’s presidential election day. If decontamination is occurring when people are going out to vote, there will be issues with ballots and politics. Additionally, the hypothetical inability to hold the vote because of a re-emergence of COVID-19 in the fall cannot be ruled out; and, if that happens, it will present a major constitutional crisis. America’s only option is to push forward and recover from the economic damage brought about by COVID-19. The federal response is behind the state response but, in any natural disaster on this scale, there will be some bureaucratic confusion. States are organizing and communities are mobilizing, which is a testimony to the American spirit. This event is going to be like 9/11 every single day for the coming months in terms of intensity and the shock to the American psyche. There will be no return to “normal” after the scale and scope of this pandemic and the resultant labor shock, as jobs rapidly switch focus and medical and delivery services become the primary necessary services. Mental well-being is going to be a major factor that will require community efforts led by psychological professionals. Getting out of lockdown is going to be challenging for an array of public health care officials and the police. Testing requirements for freedom of movement will be expanded and app tracking will be instituted. Follow-up with COVID-19 is extremely important because of the potential for cases of reinfection. Certification will be required for transportation and jobs outside of the home. This aspect of lockdown release is the most contentious and requires serious examination of local and state requirements. Upon the lifting of lockdown restrictions, which will be in several cycles over several months, starting in the fall, the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) will shift labor to a new level of skill sets, thinking and, most importantly, agility. The types of jobs replaced by artificial intelligence and robotics are going to result in deep cuts. Understanding the implications of the 4IR is our social responsibility. Critical thinking needs to transform as advanced technologies continue to alter human existence and the way laborers earn income. COVID-19 has accelerated that future, which will arrive suddenly as part of the US’ national recovery. These actions are not about gaslighting; they are about the unstoppable path of history and technological development. The speed of current breakthroughs has no historical precedent. When compared with previous industrial revolutions, the 4IR is evolving exponentially rather than linearly. Moreover, it is disrupting almost every industry in every country. The COVID-19 pandemic is forcing the onset of the 4IR as people adapt to a new technological reality by working from home. The US is looking at the real possibility of a whopping 40 percent unemployment rate, and a permanent loss of certain types of work, which are not expected to come back following the end of lockdown. The implication is that the US is facing the onset of the 4IR right now, and this factor needs to be recognized by policymakers and stakeholders. To be clear, the US needs to be disinfected before lockdown release can occur. The sooner the spraying of every nook and cranny ends, the sooner the country can move on. Overall, America needs to focus on ending the lockdown in a smooth manner. Dr. Theodore Karasik is a senior adviser to Gulf State Analytics in Washington, D.C. He is a former RAND Corporation Senior Political Scientist who lived in the UAE for 10 years, focusing on security issues. Twitter: @tkarasik Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect Arab News" point-of-view