Yes some states are beginning to open up, businesses allowed to open with limited capacities, some recreational facilities allowed to open but schools remain closed everywhere in the country.
There have been protests against the shutdown measures in states depicted as coming from the extremist right, people waving American flags, some confederate flags as well and some protesters carrying guns. Criticism of the protests comes from the liberal left who say Trump has instigated the protesters with his overt support.
But what about the people who are unemployed, live paycheck to paycheck, have no savings, in debt and can't pay the rent. There may be a moratorium on foreclosures and nobody can be put out of their homes yet it doesn't take much to realize these people are in desperate straits. That $1200 they may received was a one time deal.
Now whether these unemployed people took part in the protests is unclear yet they desperately need to get back to work to support their families.
We've heard a lot of comparisons to the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic. In New York City alone there were 30,000 deaths from that flu. What is significant comparing that 1918 flu with today's coronavirus is the public schools remained open-though there were some staggered measures with schools operations. Also it was understood people needed to go to work and most people in the city living in tenements needed to travel on the Subway. There was no lockdown of the city. No economic dislocation that's happened today. Currently the number of deaths in the city attributed to Covid-19 is 18,909 and going down each day-unlikely to approach the 1918 Flu numbers.
What's known of course it's the elderly with co-morbidities and compromised immune systems who are most at risk of dying particularly if they get pneumonia associated with Covid-19. Why didn't we focus on protecting those most at risk?
The data indicates children rarely show symptoms of the virus. They seem to easily develop anti-bodies and become immune to the virus. Yes they may be carriers of the disease and pass it on to family members. Yet parents of schoolchildren are in their 30's and 40's also a mostly healthy age group who have shown even when infected with the virus tend to have mild symptoms and like their children also develop antibodies and soon become immune.
The hypothesis here: If children were allowed to be in school-as opposed to being home-and people were allowed to return to work and yes they would be spreading the disease amongst themselves, they would develop symptoms-mostly mild if at all-and herd immunity would ensue in a short period of time perhaps within a month.
Getting back to those states beginning to open up. We'll soon see if fears are justified an increase in Covid-19 infections will occur.
If not let's get on with ending this lockdown nightmare everywhere in the country.
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