Governors — stand up these walls!
Perhaps you think I’m channeling my inner Reagan with those words, much to my liberal friends’ chagrin. But the motivation behind this is bipartisan — just sensible suggestions to combat the rampaging virus and buy valuable time for my friend recovering from cancer, for my friends in the medical field, my elderly relatives and just so many others at risk.
I’m imploring the governors of CA, NY and WA state to put their states in an extreme form of lockdown. Put up walls for travel in, out and within their states to minimize the risk of further spread of the contagion. Unless absolutely necessary, no one should be leaving their homes, even to catch up with a few friends for a bit. Voluntary social distancing is not working, as is evidenced by the young revelers at bars, beaches and nightclubs around the country. By the time they realize how inimical their actions are to others, it may be too late.
We have lessons from other countries such as China and Italy, that show what is needed to stem this tide, and flatten the curve. It’s draconian, yes….will cause significant economic damage, absolutely. But you, and we, don’t have a choice. The widespread economic damage is already here and won’t be undone in a hurry. What you can focus on is what’s best for us in the longer run in this battle. Minimize the number of sick people in ICUs and on ventilators, control the spread now, and reduce the total impact over time. Make no mistake — this is WWIII, the global fight of the century, and for a change, all the countries of the world are actually aligned against a common nemesis.
This is not the time for timid, incremental steps that always seem to be playing catchup with the virus. We won’t catch up with it — it’s too rapid and vicious, and able to morph in ways we can’t anticipate easily. For an entity that can’t be considered fully alive, it’s devilishly clever in how it eludes our best efforts. The most advanced species in the known universe has been brought to its knees by an unseen, unfelt, unthinking foe.
To beat it is going to require hurting ourselves materially in the near term — economically, socially, psychologically. But bold, painful steps may be the only way to avoid lingering, excruciating agony.
Governors — raise these walls around us!
