Back to business by Easter

[SailinAway]

Easter is 17 days from now.

Trump says he wants the nation "opened up and just raring to go by Easter" because Easter is "a beautiful time. A beautiful timeline."

The CDC says, "The United States nationally is in the INITIATION phase of the pandemic." That means we're not at the end; we're at the beginning of this crisis.

Anthony Fauci: "“I cannot see that all of a sudden, next week or two weeks from now it's going to be over. I don't think there's a chance of that."

Report from 8 infectious-disease modeling researchers, University of Massachusetts Amherst: "Only 12% of all coronavirus cases (including asymptomatic ones) had been reported in the US as of March 15. . . .The average of the researchers' predictions suggests that the virus could kill around 195,000 people in the US by the end of the year." Other experts predict over 2 million deaths in the US if more decisive action is not taken now.

Questions:

(1) Does Trump have the constitutional power to do something irrational, like ordering businesses to reopen, that will lead to hundreds of thousands of deaths?

(2) Whether he has the legal power or not, will anyone step in to stop him?

These questions may sound political, but essentially they're about our survival. Regardless of political leanings, a leader who does not understand or accept the scientific facts about a pandemic and does not listen to experts is himself a major threat to the survival of the nation and world.

At this point our food sources are apparently secure. When COVID-19 strikes thousands of people involved in the production and distribution of food, our food sources will no longer be secure---they will either dwindle or they will be infected, or both. Civil unrest will follow because people who don't have food do desperate things. This is what will happen if virus carriers return to work by Easter. The economy will be harmed far more than it is now.

Coronavirus poll results:

1. 56% of Americans don't believe COVID-19 is a real threat (March 17).
2. Half of Americans believe Trump is doing a good job managing the crisis.

Those polls mean that one-half of your neighbors are not going to be motivated to use social distancing, self-isolate if they're sick, or follow public health directives that limit the freedoms they're accustomed to. They also will not be motivated to demand rational countermeasures from their local, state, and federal authorities.

This crisis is about two things: science (facts) and human behavior. The science and facts are what they are. Human behavior is influenceable only to a certain extent. When people are driven by beliefs and emotions, and those are not based on science and facts, the outcome is going to be grim. When a leader's decisions are not based on science and facts, and he models actions that are not based on facts, the outcome is going to be grim.

Is COVID-19 not yet at your personal doorstep? It will be soon. One of my friends has it right now. Another friend died 10 days ago because he couldn't get proper medical care for another illness because the hospital in his area was overwhelmed by COVID-19. If you have a heart attack and your local hospital is dealing with an onslaught of COVID-19 cases, you might not get care. You think that big red dot around New York City on the COVID-19 map isn't going to expand into New Hampshire? It already is.

The nation "opened up and just raring to go by Easter"? This is magical thinking that threatens all of us, no matter what your personal politics are.