Coronavirus vs Quarantine: Do those who want to open up the country deserve to be heard?
Opposing views
Views surrounding the spread of the Coronavirus have begun to diverge into two major schools of thought with many vehement supporters on either side. On one hand, you have those who agree with national and international health organizations on the dangers of the virus. It’s highly infectious, difficult to detect due to a long incubation period and put’s those with weakened immune systems or pre-existing conditions at risk. What many people disagree on is just how dangerous the virus is and whether or not it should restrict personal liberties. To date (05-09-20) there are over 1.3M cases and over 78k deaths. There are those who would like to equate this to a bad flu season, however these deaths are supposed to be in addition to traditional flu season deaths (many would disagree that the numbers are being recorded this way) and the virus itself shows little signs of stopping when flu season ends. Many experts have projections showing well over 100k deaths being imminent.
“What many people disagree on is just how dangerous the virus is and whether or not it should restrict personal liberties.”
Party lines drawn
So despite how some would like to spin the data and draw comparisons in an effort to downplay the dangers, we can all agree that any life lost is one too many and if there’s anything that can be done to save lives then we should do it. What the country has begun to divide over is ‘at what cost’ should the protection of the vulnerable come at. Another valuable argument presented is that we simply need to re-look at how to protect those at risk without causing the countries downfall. Opposing views over how to approach the viruses spread have begun to manifest themselves across party lines: those leaning left tend to agree with the viewpoint being relayed by the media whereas those leaning right agree with conservative leaders and even draw on conspiracy theories to help plead their case. The danger of these affiliations is that critical thinking, open-mindedness and forming opinions without influence go by the wayside in favor of group think. An all too common theme when it comes to national and international level issues.
“The danger of these affiliations is that critical thinking, open-mindedness and forming opinions without influence go by the wayside in favor of group think.”
Controversies
Both sides are not without controversy in there thought process. Organizations like the World Health Organization have shifted more focus to vaccines and testing in the years that Bill Gates has been a major investor leading to conspiracy theories related to his intentions. Regardless of what his intentions are, having a major investor influence the policy and direction of an organization focused on global health should not be overlooked. His influence has created controversy for years even before the Coronavirus outbreak. Even worse, when news of the virus spread in January ahead of the signing of the trade deal between the U.S. and China, the WHO supported China’s statements in regards to the virus not being transmissible to humans. Now that the virus has caused major economic impact, some wonder if this could affect the terms of the trade deal.
By the end of January, the virus was declared a global emergency by the WHO and projections from experts as well as the rapid spread of infection led to lockdowns across the globe under the agreeable premise of not overwhelming hospital systems. But when the CDC declared on its Facebook page at the beginning of May that deaths had not exceeded that of a bad flu season, and many agreed that the curve was flattened, many thought ‘ok this was a job well done, now it’s time to return to work’. However, local governors have disagreed and they continue to use shelter at home policies beyond their portrayed intention to further drive down coronavirus numbers. As a result, many health experts disagree as to whether or not a strategy for not overwhelming hospitals can be re purposed for managing the disease. Concerns over adequate exercise and sunlight to support the immune system are counter intuitive to remaining indoors for many physicians.
“Even if we can’t change the total number of people who are going to be infected, by keeping the total numbers low at any given time, that dramatically improves our ability to cope with the outbreak and in particular to provide care for the people who are going to be severely ill," Emily Gurley, an associate scientist in the Department of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told USA TODAY (March 11, 2020)
"In flattening the curve, the goal is not so much to reduce the total number of people getting sick but to slow the rate at which they do." Doug Stanglin, USA TODAY Editor (March 11, 2020)
Health Experts Disagree
While the medical community has braved these difficult times to treat patients, they all seem to agree that social distancing, sanitation practices and protecting the most vulnerable should be priorities with such an infectious disease in our mist. But they disagree on the policies in place to keep people safe. The danger here is that many physicians in opposition to the CDC’s direction are shunned by their own medical communities and not given a voice by mainstream media. Video’s continue to surface of doctors questioning the incentives and thought process behind listing patients with other conditions who pass away as COVID-19 deaths even when the virus was not the cause of death. Many physicians however continue to stand behind the CDC's current direction and continue to oppose rally's crying to re-open the economy and with good reason: if these people require medical care, then these doctors will have to treat them.
“The danger here is that many physicians in opposition to the CDC’s direction are shunned by their own medical communities and not given a voice by mainstream media.”
This disagreement among the medical community has further fueled conservative opposition. This has led many of the opposition to overstep the boundaries of facts and entertain controversial information as well as controversial figures for insight due to a distrust of mainstream media and medical leadership. The burden of the CDC is that for any team to have a chance at winning, they all need to be on the same page, hence dissent is quickly stomped out. However, by doing this it creates greater controversy which has led the country further into a divide.
Civil Liberties
The beauty of the United States is that it protects our right to protest and to criticize those who protest. I have sympathy for both sides as many seek the well-being of all people and their communities while others seek to uphold the rights that many feel make this the greatest country in the world. Who is right? Do you spread the virus putting many more people at risk or do you salvage the economy? My first thought on this topic was that the idea that this country could continue with shelter in place laws was one that seems to be largely held by those with East Coast sensibilities who are still able to work from home. While those in the Mid-West who are not afforded the same opportunities feel like they have their backs against the wall (Ex- Minnesota has been in the news as of late for protests and they are at a 20% unemployment rate which is above the national average of 14.7%).
“…the idea that this country could continue with shelter in place laws was one that seems to be largely held by those with East Coast sensibilities who are still able to work from home.”
This is concerning to me because this idea that your culture and lifestyle gives you enough perspective to prescribe the appropriate way of thinking or living to people who think differently is dangerous. It creates dissent and conveys a lack of sympathy for the plight of others. This lack of acceptance is why many conservative voters turned to Donald Trump in the first place to break the political wheel. Continuing to ignore the needs of others in different parts of the country will continue to further this divide.
So do these people who are protesting and trying to open up businesses have a valid case in regards to their predicament and rights? Below are facts in regards to our current policies and statistics that you can compare to today’s Coronavirus numbers and decide for yourself if the minority (most polls show roughly 2/3rds of Americans supporting quarantine restrictions) deserve to be heard.
The 1st amendment prevents the government from creating laws which regulate or prohibit the exercise of religion but religious gatherings have been shut down in many states.
Some states have offered prison sentences for non-essential businesses that want to open while other states have released prisoners to reduce the spread of the virus.
The 14th amendment says no state can deprive a citizen of life, liberty or property without due process.
1.3 million Americans are in AA (Alcoholics Anonymous), but most AA services are closed
46 million people suffer from some form of mental illness but public programs are closed
Suicide hotline calls have quadrupled in addition to the growing trend of increasing suicide rates over the past decade
Rates of domestic violence and child abuse are increasing
The obesity epidemic incurs nearly 200 billion a year in health care costs and its likely to get worse this year
Over 30 million have filed for unemployment and having a job/set routine is a minimum requirement for those fighting depression (40 million suffer from depression in the U.S.)
U.S. Farmers are having supply chain issues and are destroying crops and killing livestock as meat shortages loom.
Globally the U.N. Is warning that world hunger could double this year (additional 130 million people plus baseline 135 million) as a result of shutdowns.
