The president of the United States has made a decision—sort of—that despite the lack of sufficient testing, resources to embark upon the tracing of the contacts of all people testing positive for Covid-19, and the ability to humanely isolate those infected, we are nevertheless reopening as a country. Of course, the president cannot simply order this to happen; states and localities have responsibility for these kinds of public health decisions, not the federal government. But his message is clear: “We have met the moment and we have prevailed,” he announces, declaring victory over the pandemic at least in his own rear view mirror.
Reopening: A Chronicle of Needless Deaths Foretold
