When it comes to the COVID-19 virus, it is not a matter of if but when.

When you hear from anyone who steps in front of a microphone these days in regards to the COVID-19 virus, they are quick to remind you that the virus remains deadly and “out there,” while also saying there will be a return of increased numbers in the fall and winter.

But while the virus has not left, has not been defeated and no vaccine yet developed, knowing we will see an increase in numbers in the fall and winter, as we do with the flu, is expected and understandable.

What will not be expected and understandable will be how our local, state and federal governments react for what may be a second wave.

As a society, we are by our very nature impatient. As a society we deplore restrictions. In many ways, such personality characteristics are at the very core of who we are as Americans; right or wrong.

So it will be interesting to see what we as a society have learned and what our leaders have learned when we are faced with a resurgence of the virus, a spike in the numbers.

Will there be business restrictions and closures? We will see schools quickly closed and distance learning again relied upon? Will recreational facilities be shuttered and restaurants and salons again put on the brink of bankruptcy?

There is no doubt some of those restrictions, some of those temporary closures were necessary as our society grew to understand the need for better hygiene practices and social distancing. If a second wave occurs and restrictions are again imposed, how will they be implemented when we as a society, as a culture, will be far more stubborn?

And, just what restrictions could even be brought back, knowing many of these restrictions put in place initially could never have been enforced? There was no accountability or consequence.

What we know today about the COVID-19 virus is light years beyond what we knew when it was first detected in China and when it inevitably landed on our shores. What we will know about the virus in late September, October and into the winter months will also be far beyond what we know now.

Let us hope how we respond to a second wave is in a way that applies the lessons learned from the first time around. Making a mistake the first time is understandable, repeating a mistake is unforgivable.