A Virus Lie?

[David Horn]

(03-14-2020, 05:45 PM)Bob Butler 54 Wrote:

(03-14-2020, 08:17 AM)David Horn Wrote: Keeping it simple, there has been a lack of concern about this disease.  Now, in typical American fashion, we're hewing to the opposite extreme.  Being over vigilant is better, but it's still not the right response.

If France is shutting down restaurants and cafes, then I'm not sure it is a uniquely American phenomenon.

To be panicked is human, over vigilant prudent?

Certainly, doing too much beats the hell out of doing too little.  My biggest concern is perception.  Trump indicates that he's bringing out the big guns, and everything will be OK soon enough … except it won't.  A vaccine is at least a year away.  We still have no fool-proof way to assure ourselves that people aren't working sick, so paranoia is to be expected.  But first and foremost, the actual pandemic pattern is alterable, but cannot be eliminated.  If we lower the rate of infections by social distancing and other social practices (certainly a best practice), then we also stretch the pandemic timeline into the future.  It's a near certainty that we will be running a nationwide election while the pandemic is still fully active. 

So what happens if the American attention span is too short to accommodate the right long-term response?  Trump seems to be acting like this can be fixed in a few weeks.  It can't.  Let's agree: the Italian model is one to avoid, not emulate.