COVID is Surging

California Governor Gavin Newsom has ordered a shutting back down of the economy. He is hardly alone, and this is in spite of the early actions by the state. It is not the only state doing this. The virus is back with a vengeance. There are many reasons for this state of affairs. one hopes that this will serve as a lesson for the future. Yes. There will be a shut down of the economy, to be followed by a new reopening.

The first critical point is that policymakers reopened too fast. Why? There are many reasons. The first is that the chamber of commerce and others placed undue pressure on electeds. Leaders chose to open, in spite of best practices recommendations by public health officials. Incidentally, open-air protests, both right and left, are not at the heart of the spikes. What we know is that the worst places to go to are bars. Incidentally, these are now to closed. Why? It’s not safe

What happened?

Lack of leadership at the national level. It’s not the public health professionals who are not telling people what is happening. It’s Donald Trump who still refuses to acknowledge how serious this is. Real men don’t wear masks, and it’s not that serious until it hits the base. And by that, I mean his white, red state base. Here is where politics enters into the fray, and how masks have become a sign of political support or, in the words of the president, hate. It…