By MARSHA MERCER
“We’re all in this together.”
Those encouraging words burble from politicians, TV commercials
and the public address system in the supermarket as you survey still-empty shelves.
Are we in this together? Not really.
As COVID-19 ravages the country, with more than 1.2
million confirmed cases and more than 73,000 deaths, the disease disproportionately
affects the elderly, people of color and the poor.
Meanwhile, the political chasm grows wider and deeper.
President Donald Trump and many Republican governors
are pushing to reopen the economy – ignoring the White House’s own guidelines
on how to do so safely.
The guidelines include a 14 day-trend of declining
COVID-19 cases or of positive tests as a percent of tests. In more than half
the states easing restrictions, both measures are trending upwards, not down,
the New York Times reported.
But there are signs we’re in this together in one way.
Most Americans are united around an idea: Don’t rush to reopen. Do it right.
The angry protesters who demand their states be
“liberated” get oodles of news coverage, but they are a minority. Most
Americans say they are willing to stay home and observe social distancing a
while longer. To do otherwise is to court later waves of disease and future
lockdowns, which could be disastrous.
Many recent polls have found a strong majority of Americans
want the government to slow the spread of the virus first, even if the economy
is hurt in the short run. Rather than pretending everything is fine, elected
officials should respond accordingly.
Two-thirds of people say they would be uncomfortable
shopping at a retail clothing store and nearly eight in 10 said they would be
uncomfortable eating at a sit-down restaurant, a Washington Post-University of
Maryland poll reported this week.
Interestingly, people in states with looser
restrictions reported levels of discomfort similar to those in states with
stricter rules.
Six in 10 people support stay-at-home restrictions and
more than half are more concerned about stopping the virus’s spread than about the
economic fallout, according to an NBC News-Wall Street Journal poll last month.
Americans by vast majorities are not ready to return
to school, go back to work, attend large sports events or eat in restaurants, a
PBS-NPR-Marist poll reported.
And, remember, it’s consumers who hold the keys to the
car. If they aren’t willing to take it for a spin, it’s sitting in the
driveway.
Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell warned April 29
that while stay-at-home and social distancing orders stopped the economy cold,
the economy won’t heal until consumers feel COVID-19 is under control.
“It’s worth remembering that the measures we are
taking to contain the virus represent an investment in our individual and
collective health,” Powell said April 29.
So what’s the rush? Trump believes his reelection
depends on a booming economy. He acknowledges reopening will mean the sacrifice
of American lives.
“Will some people be affected? Yes,” he said on his
trip to Arizona Tuesday. “Will some people be affected badly? Yes. But we have
to get our country open, and we have to get it open soon.”
On Wednesday, he said the country “may very well” need
to accept greater loss of life as the economy reopens. He insists, despite
polls to the contrary, that social distancing rules are not sustainable.
The economic ruin that has swamped the country is
horrific and unprecedented. Thirty-three million Americans have filed for
unemployment, and the picture is likely to get much worse before it finally
gets better, Powell said.
To reopen successfully, we need reliable widespread
testing and contact tracing.
Real national leadership would acknowledge that reality
and move to make testing and tracing a national priority, not left to each
state.
Real national leadership would advise patience while scientists
develop a vaccine and effective treatments.
Americans will make their own decisions for themselves
and their families. Just because the government says you should go back out and
spend money doesn’t mean you must.
If masks are voluntary, as Trump insists, so too is
shopping at the mall, going to bars and restaurants and getting a manicure.
Be smart. Staying home, covering your face and
observing social distancing are still the safest bet.
©2020 Marsha Mercer. All rights reserved.
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