Today we are in the midst of a national and global pandemic that we have never seen at this scale. It has highlighted constitutional law, which provides states local control with federal oversight. Checks and balances. We have also received lots of myths and dangerous information that can lead to more harm or simply embolden us to not pay attention to the CDC and WHO. For the last month, most of America has been on a home quarantine, practicing social distancing, and safety precautions that include hand washing, protective masks, and limited public interaction.
So I ask today, who will we be after COVID? What will be? And how will history remember this pandemic?
In the midst of talks regarding states reopening by May 1. The pros and the cons of that. There is an opportunity for us to do what’s right for all of us or just some of us. There is an opportunity to put people before profits and creature comforts. There is an opportunity to create a new normal that doesn’t ignore our most vulnerable citizens. An opportunity to actually develop a public health policy that is prepared for future pandemics because let’s face it, there will be another.
Unfortunately, many of our states including the President, want to quickly reopen. They say that they are preparing for a new normal but in reality they are running to the same normal disguised as “doing something different.” I understand that small businesses are losing money and some may never see the other side of this. The bailouts are not effective nor sustainable. Unemployment is crashing due to antiquated technology and lack of preparedness. And humans need and desire human contact. But you know what, none of this matters if we get this wrong and more of us get sick or even worse, die.
740,746 confirmed cases, 39,158 deaths, and 66,676 recovered just in the US. The virus makes the schedule according to Dr. Fauci. According to virology, this is how viruses function.
Not one state that has started the process of reopening has created a plan. A universal health and safety plan that includes access to testing, access to antibody testing (which is still being perfected in a lab), and a universal cleaning plan for all businesses from stores, to schools, rec centers, to movie theaters, to production sets, to office spaces, and everything in between, Nothing. No public health plan to avoid or face future pandemics. Nothing. No perfected test that the CDC and FDA approve with high marks. Nope. No vaccine. No cure. Some jobs have already created paperwork stating that if you come to work in a hotspot, you are coming at your own risk and there will be no company liability for your health. But please come and work anyway. Undocumented people have not received ANYTHING close to a plan or a solution. And there are no procedures in place to protect them at “work.” Prison safety has been mentioned but nothing more. Positive tests are already being seen in some food production plants like, Smithfield sausage, and in some markets, like Whole Foods.
And let’s not forget that we still are not sure how accurate the numbers are because we do not have enough tests, nor do we have unlimited access to the chemicals to make more. Most countries had triple the testing by this timeline when the pandemic hit them. That requires a better international relationship with China. Add that to the list of things that need to be done before we reopen.
We are not ready. We need a universal solution, a multi-pronged strategy that takes into account all of us not just those who are losing money. This is not fear, this is common sense. When you are faced with a problem, you first assess it, and then you start brainstorming possible strategies, then you troubleshoot, and finally either select a solution or you succumb to the problem.
Do we want to succumb or do we want to survive and make sure that our future selves do better than we are actually doing?
