Corona Part 3

I was willing to go along with the shutdown for maybe 2-4 weeks but I've had ENOUGH!!  A typical day involves sitting on my ass in front a blank computer screen as I am technically working from home but have nothing to do because I cannot meet with any clients.  I cannot leave because I could get in trouble for not reading an e-mail with a read receipt attached.  What can I do anyway?  Nothing is open!  No doubt, this is hurting my health both physically and mentally. 

Recent revelations about the virus have made it clear that none of this was necessary.  To be clear, I am NOT advocating business as usual.  The close quarters on the subway combined with crowded elevators in NYC is probably the reason it's the hot spot.  We are a LONG way from safely packing a college football stadium in Auburn or Tuscaloosa.  Concerts, parades and other mass gatherings including big time road races certainly should have been cancelled or re-scheduled from at least late March-early May but NOT late summer and Fall.  How about gyms or movie theaters?  Probably not yet but I'd open them within a few weeks.  I would allow small church services but mega churches should remain online for now.   

Wal-Mart and Home Depot remain open as are other grocery and hardware stores.  They are quite crowded too and it is nearly impossible to observe the 6 foot rule at all times.  You might think that those cashiers would be dropping like flies considering the media coverage but that's not happening.  The only real danger zone is nursing homes, where underlying conditions and co-morbidity are common.  While people can go to Wal-Mart, they often CANNOT do the following things, which are MUCH safer.
-Visit to a museum
-Tour of a National Park
-Browse inside a local clothing store or book store.
-Swim in the ocean
-Drink at the bar (no dancing at a nightclub)
-Dine-in restaurant

Police have been known to stop motorists and inquire about their destination and whether or not they are performing essential duties.  A father was recently ARRESTED for playing catch with his child at an EMPTY park.  Now, that's not hurting or endangering anyone!  Ridiculous!  What happened to the all families belong together crowd?

One of the reasons for the shutdown was to prevent overwhelming the health care system with corona cases.  Outside of NYC, that fear has not materialized.  In fact, hospitals are actually more likely to be OVERSTAFFED because non-essential appointments must be postponed.  I know a couple people who lost their jobs for that reason.  Studies show that this virus is MUCH more widespread than previously believed and was probably around as early as December 2019.  Antibody samples show that anywhere from 10-50 times the number of confirmed cases have been exposed.  Most never knew it because their symptoms were minimal.  It has also been found that the virus dies quickly in the presence of sunlight.  Thus, we should have ENCOURAGED people to get out more often especially for exercise in parks.

The point:  Yes, the virus is contagious and the vulnerable should be protected and self-isolated but it is NOT nearly as deadly as feared.  WHO originally said the death rate would be 3.4%.  If the antibody study is accurate, it is no higher than 0.5% and could be as low as 0.1%.   90% of those deaths had underlying health conditions or co-morbidity, which I believe has greatly  inflated the number of deaths.  For example, an old country singer named Joe Diffie was listed as a corona death.  In realty, he had heart disease as well as advanced lung cancer.  I don't think he survives the regular flu or pneumonia.  Can a relatively young healthy person be killed by corona?  Nobody is guaranteed to make it but your chances of death are about 1 in 10,000 if you catch the virus.

If you are a higher risk case and feel the need to stay at home, you should certainly be permitted to do so.  I have a couple of co-workers who are over 60 and significantly overweight.  They certainly should be permitted to work from home when possible.  If you don't feel safe going out, by all means stay in.  If you strictly self-isolate, including appropriate social distancing at home, I'd say you are pretty safe even if others go out, right?  In fact, suppose that you are an essential worker who would normally go out for dinner or a drink but cannot due to stay at home orders.  You actually INCREASE your contact with higher risk family members by being at home more often. 

As for the economic impact, many small businesses may never come back from this.  For every 1% of unemployment, we see a significant increase in suicides and drug overdoses.  It's rough being alone with no human contact.  I've talked with friends and family on the phone and even did a video chat for Easter but that's just not the same.  What about people who live with an abusive partner or someone else that they dislike and cannot move out or even leave for a day.  Fortunately, this madness should be winding down soon as people are getting fed up. 

As usual, the media has been blatantly dishonest.  Trump never called the virus a hoax nor did he suggest treating it by injecting Drano into the lungs yet many believe it because CNN said so.  Polls can be manipulated to get the results that they want.  For example, one said that 72% back continued restrictions.  I call BS.  If the restrictions include cancelled spectator sports, I'm fully in the YES camp.  Keeping beaches closed?  I'm strongly opposed.  So how do I answer? 

Political impact:
That remains to be seen but so far, it appears that if you liked Trump before the pandemic, he hasn't lost your support.  If you didn't like him before, he hasn't changed your mind.  It could be a wash overall but if it becomes clear that excessive restrictions were an over-reach, it's probably advantage Trump.  Trump did restrict travel from China very early and Biden called him xenophobic.  I do believe that the media will keep trying to keep the country in panic mode until the election.  After that, especially if Biden wins, the virus may not go away but the panic will fade even if there is a second wave.  I've heard of drones monitoring people for social distance violations and even a snitch hotline too.  That's pretty scary stuff. 

In the USSR, people often could not choose their occupation or their city of residence.  Everyone lived in a planned high rise with government officials watching your every move.  If you blew off work, you would not be fired but imprisoned instead.  In China, there is social credit in which your rights can be severely curtailed if you simply post things that are deemed offensive by the communist government.  Could that really happen here in the Land of the Free?  Yes, I'm afraid so.  Nobody thought Venezuela would become such a hell hole just 20 years ago.  I have been encouraged by the number of Patriots who are willing to fight socialism so I bet it doesn't happen in my lifetime.