There's no indication from public health experts that the US is in a position to "reopen its economy" without hitting the gas on infection rates and deaths. Neither testing nor contact tracing programs are ready; rates are not appreciably declining. nytimes.com/interactive/20…
Lockdowns got us to the point where the spread is most concentrated among service workers, factory workers, care homes, and incarcerated people. Deaths haven't slowed, but administration-backed politicians and business owners (wrongly) feel safe, and that's good enough for them.
The suffering is, and will continue to be, most strongly felt by people this administration cares about the least. They could invest in measures that would protect everyone, but it's become very clear that that's not their priority.
Most Americans support continuing the distance measures! Restaurants and bars will not fill up. But if government stay-home guidance ends, that jeopardizes the help & protections for workers and small businesses, hurting those who can least afford it. npr.org/sections/coron…
This is a side-note but not really a side-note: having a system that ties health care access to employment is ridiculous at all times but extremely painfully obviously ridiculous now.
