We can keep debating the merits of keeping society locked down versus reopening the economy amid the coronavirus. There are no easy answers, as we must weigh economic ruin, increased deaths of despair, and a coming mental health crisis against the potential death toll from a raging pandemic. But at a certain point, the debate becomes null and void when people simply get fed up and stop doing it regardless of what the talking heads on television and bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., have to say about it.
A new poll suggests we’re inching closer to that point.
On Tuesday morning, the latest Axios/Ipsos poll results were released. The survey found that almost 1 in 3 people have started visiting friends and family members again, a near doubling since mid-April. So, too, the number who say they are “self-quarantining” has decreased from 55% in early April to just 36% of respondents in the latest poll.
Indeed, respondents viewed both returning to normal life generally and specific activities such as in-person gatherings, grocery store trips, and working as less risky than they did in previous weeks. In an encouraging sign, though, 60% still said they’re maintaining a 6-foot distance from others while outside the home, and high levels of mask usage were reported.
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The lesson here is pretty obvious.
We were originally sold on shutting down society as a short-term measure intended to prevent our medical system from being overwhelmed, which would have increased the fatality rate of the coronavirus. We have largely achieved that goal, at least, for now. But the goal posts have shifted, and now, many proponents of mid-to-long term quarantining have cited a vaccine, a treatment, or an exhaustive testing regime as new prerequisites to a reopening. None of these things are going to happen any time soon.
Without even debating whether this position is scientifically sound or not, it’s increasingly just not realistic. As we can see, people are already itching to emerge from life under lockdown and are going to start doing so regardless of official rules and dictates. At some point, we’ll have to adopt a pragmatic approach that acknowledges this reality and strives to help us do it as safely as possible.
