I Wish I Had Thought to Frame the Shutdown Issue In This Way

While they started out with the best of intentions, the COVID-19 shutdown has degenerated into a non-scientific mess. While it is still essential that people -- especially people over 60 and with compromised immune systems -- take isolation precautions against coronavirus, the near-total shutdown of American commerce needs to be reversed as quickly as possible. If you need more evidence, please read this piece from an MD.

Dennis Prager puts things in perspective in this manner:

Imagine that Georgia and North Carolina -- two contiguous states that, like the New York metro area, have a combined total of 21 million people -- had 18,690 COVID-19 deaths, while metro New York had 858 deaths (the number of deaths in North Carolina and Georgia combined).

Do you think the New York metro area would close its schools, stores, restaurants and small businesses? Would every citizen of the New York area, with the few exceptions of those engaged in absolutely necessary work, be locked in their homes for months? Would New Yorkers accept the decimation of their economic and social lives because North Carolina and Georgia (or, even more absurdly, Colorado, Montana or the rest of what most New Yorkers regard as "flyover" country) had 18,960 deaths, while they had a mere 858?

It is, of course, possible. But I suspect that anyone with an open mind assumes that New Yorkers would not put up with ruining their economic and social lives and putting tens of millions of people out of work because of coronavirus deaths in North Carolina and Georgia, let alone Montana and Idaho (and, for the record, I would have agreed with them).

In Prager's article, he makes a reference to the perfect cover of The New Yorker titled a "New Yorker's View of the World From 9th Avenue." 

Click to Enlarge

The idea other 99% of America (by geography) should stay shut down because of the high rate of cases in NYC is absurd. 

Yes, by all means, take precautions (masks and gloves and frequent disinfecting of common surfaces). Let's go back to our history class and think about London's indomitable spirit during The Blitz. Then, open up America.