Last week, USA Today’s Glenn Harlan Reynolds made an important point about the coronavirus protests: Those demanding a return to normalcy have no other choice, while those hesitant to reopen the country do.
There are two Americas right now, Reynolds argued — the employed and the unemployed, the people who can afford to sit inside for several months without fear of economic loss and those who can’t because they’ve lost their livelihoods due to the economic shutdown. There is a lot of truth to this point, especially as unemployment claims continue to soar and economic productivity drops.
But, when it comes to reopening the country, a new poll suggests the divide between the employed and the unemployed isn’t as pervasive as we might think.
The poll, conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, broke up participants into three groups: those who’d seen some decline in work and pay, which was nearly half of the group, those who experienced a major decline in work and pay, and those who hadn’t lost either work or pay. The majority of participants in all three of these groups overwhelmingly supported social distancing measures, and 4 in 5 respondents in each group also said they would support prolonging social distancing by another month.
Make no mistake: There are still many people who are frustrated with the continued shutdowns, and with good reason. But an even larger number of people remain hesitant to return to life as normal, as poll after poll has confirmed.
This is important to keep in mind, especially as states begin to lift restrictions. Our governing officials can’t reopen the country overnight, not only because that would be medically imprudent but because the public will not allow it. Most people, even those who have been affected economically, have admitted they’re still worried about the spread of COVID-19 and that they’re not eager to throw themselves back into social situations.
This mindset was present well before state governments mandated business closures. Flight cancellations began to soar in early March, which was about the same time the rates of eating out began to plummet. By the time the states began to implement shutdowns, businesses had already lost 73% of their normal revenue.
Our state and local governments can enable and aid the reopening process or they can forbid it. But they cannot control it. It will be up to local communities — your friends, neighbors, and family members — to decide when normalcy should return and how quickly.
Our goal, then, should be to convince the public that it is in its best interests and the country’s to get back to work. And that will require a gradual process that rebuilds trust and preventative measures that make people feel safe, such as physical distance, medical masks, and so on.
Public confidence can’t be turned on and off at will. America shut itself down with very little direction from the government. And that means America must reopen itself as well.
