Some conservatives in their blind devotion to Trump are now calling for people to literally sacrifice untold numbers of lives by abandoning social distancing in order to prop up Wall Street. At the same time, Democrats and all sane people are heeding the clear advice of scientists and responsible government officials to maintain social distancing practices. The Democratic (DFL) Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, announced yesterday that social distancing is currently showing some positive effect in his state, and is flattening the curve “a little bit”.
Unfortunately many Republicans continue to downplay he severity of Coronavirus, although at least some are conceding to reality:
Polling suggests Republicans have been less concerned about coronavirus overall. But those numbers are starting to change as infections spread and the markets continue to tumble.
Still, many conservative politicians and media are actively making the situation worse:
Social distancing, politicized: Trump allies are urging an end to isolation, worrying public health experts
How and whether to prevent disease is suddenly a political question. And in the face of the economic turmoil caused by the coronavirus, a small but growing number of conservatives has come down forcefully on the side of “don’t.”
And as coronavirus cases in the United States continue to spike, the prospect that some conservatives might abandon those measures en masse has alarmed public health experts, who say that giving up now would result in thousands of unnecessary deaths — and effectively sacrifice many of society’s most vulnerable.
But the best path forward is clear, and based in science. This includes continuing to practice social/physical distancing. Unacast has assembled state-by-state data showing how areas are doing regarding practicing social distancing. Minnesota has earned an “A” grade in practicing social distancing. This is having an impact:
Gov. Tim Walz says he has his first evidence that the social distancing and other measures Minnesotans are taking to slow the spread of COVID-19 are working "a little bit."
Democratic leadership, following the advice of public health scientists, is showing us the best way forward. It’s best to ignore Trump.
Walz said preventative actions so far have slowed infection rates in Minnesota and dampened a potential spike, but cautioned that more waves of coronavirus cases will come and that continued mitigation efforts will need to last months. He said that cellphone data and other information shows that social distancing is happening, adding,“Minnesotans are taking this seriously.”
“There is no doubt that this is going to take some time,” Walz said. “It's going to be well beyond Easter (April 12), and I don't think it does us any good to pretend that it's not.”