Currently, the lockdown in my hometown is scheduled to end May 4 and there are reports like this one CNN of other states ready to open up. I’ve read in most sources that this is too soon and will result in a second wave of outbreaks. So then what should I do when the lockdown has ended? Continue living like we’re still in quarantine? What good is the participation of a small number of people?Should there be protests about ending the lockdown? They’d have to be done at home. 😂
But in all seriousness, I’d like to know what happens if the governor decides to end the stay at home order. Do businesses get to decide whether to re-open or not because that’s a lot of pressure for a business. If they do reopen they could potentially put people at risk, not to mention garner bad publicity. But if they don’t reopen, they’ll just continue to lose money.
And if an employee feels unsafe going back to work but their employer is open, could they be terminated for not going in? Can they continue to collect unemployment? And if my favorite local bar or restaurant does decide to open, but I choose to continue following the quarantine am I being a bad patron?
If the local businesses I know and love are open, the first thing I want to do is support them after having been closed for so long, but it’s negligent to go out at the expense of other people’s health. It just feels like there could be a better way to do this. Is it just me or are we being scapegoated? Work – risk an outbreak. Don’t work – suffer financially.
And aren’t most of us in favor of playing it safe? According to Vox, the majority of Americans believe it’s too soon to reopen. Did you see the turnout at the “end the stay-at-home order” protests. They were tiny. I try to be a realist, but I’m fairly confident those of us with common sense outnumber them. I, for one, will continue to take preventative measures until the CDC says that it’s safe, and according to this article it’s probably not going to be safe until about mid June. This model was conducted by the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). I’d like to know what these experts would advise us to do if the lockdown is ended too soon.
What would you do?