This is why I said it’s not just a question of policy. Yes, leaders should lead by example but the information regarding the virus is not coming from any one individual source. It doesn’t matter if Newsom, Pelosi and Fauci are hosting maskless raves for out of state visitors every night, that doesn’t change how the virus spreads and the ways that spread can be mitigated. That information is coming from enough and various sources. In another thread I used the example of a doctor who smokes and tells others not to smoke. One engaging in inadvisable behavior does not itself negate the advice. I’ve had overweight doctors in my life, that doesn’t mean I just ignore the far wider consensus that being overweight is detrimental to one’s health and well-being. I‘m sure we’ve both done things we would not advise others to do.
Yes, those being forced out of work by the government should be compensated but they are not and really should not, be the only people experiencing lost business. People are being forced out of work even without restrictions. There is a sandwich shop not too far from me that I would very much like to order from but cannot because they have been closed since early March. A small family-owned place where the owner works every day from open to close. Exactly the sort of place people would say should be allowed to be open so the owner can make a living for his family and continue to pay his employees. Except he wasn’t shut down. There has never been a restriction here that would require the shop to close. He isn’t elderly or of ill health and therefore too afraid to open. His shop also only has a few barstools at a counter and a couple of tables outside, so restrictions on in-person dining are not an issue since the business was overwhelmingly take out. No, he is closed because the shop is located on the ground floor of an office building and when those companies moved to work-from-home his customers disappeared. Most of the tenants would also be categorized as essential and also were never required to close or even severely curtail their office work. An entire business wiped out because of freely chosen responses to the pandemic in line with widespread medical advice, not any government restrictions. That’s an anecdote but there are plenty of other larger examples. Air travel started to plummet before restrictions. Conventions were cancelled well into the future shutting down an entire industry. Regal Cinemas are closed across the country because there is not enough business to keep them open and surveys continue to show that even with content far too many people are not interested in going to the movies at this time. Walt Disney World has entire hotels closed because the demand is not there. DeSantis has begged the major parks to increase capacity and they have not, hurting the many small businesses that make up the attractions area. The economy is not being spared in places where it is being prioritized because it is not just restrictions that will hurt businesses.
Putting public health first would protect those of lower socioeconomic status. Not working is just one negative impact. Living in tighter quarters means there is more spread. Working jobs that cannot be done remotely means more exposure. Not having access to real broadband internet means not being able to do virtual schooling, working from home, telemedicine or online shopping. Can’t afford delivery services, or missing work for two weeks or a hospital bill. Can’t afford to stop working because they’re now a long hauler. Without restrictions the pandemic is still disproportionately impacting those of lower socioeconomic status.
What you describe is rather defeatist. Working with the hand you have been dealt does not mean discarding ideals. The trade offs in this case aren’t really this or that but more this or this and that.
