The flurry of this week boils down to one idea: the economy. Fortunately, President Donald Trump is deserting the more forceful parts of the assertion made on Monday that he has “total” authority to reopen the American economy, saying instead, “the governors are responsible. They have to take charge.”
It’s comforting the notion of federalism isn’t yet lost on the nation’s capital. Revitalizing businesses should be the coordinated work of local, state and federal leaders.
The idea of flipping a switch on the economy was an audacious but impractical goal. The three phase system announced by the president Thursday is more like a dial that slowly turns up. The system allows governors to tailor to the needs of their states and counties.
That is a far more reasonable and responsible approach. Still, it may be too narrowly focused to account for what will both motivate Americans and keep them safe.
When polled, half of all Americans think simply being able gather in groups at someone’s home is the top priority for when lockdown ends. Comparatively, only 35% list reopening retail stores as their No. 1 priority — the same amount as the percentage of the population itching to visit their house of worship again.
The message for leaders is clear: Don’t push an unprepared economy onto the people; pull Americans into the economy by making it safe for them to do the things they really want to do. The path toward a thriving economy runs first through public perceptions of confidence.
That means discussion shouldn’t center on which businesses can open when. It would be better to stay the course and build out the infrastructure: Ramp up testing and contact tracing, safeguard communities with appropriate guidelines and funnel resources into the health care system so people can rest assured they and their friends will be protected from the virus.
On that note, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s stalwart disease informant, cautioned on Tuesday: “We have to have something in place that is efficient and that we can rely on, and we’re not there yet.”
Recent actions in Utah, though, deserve recognition. Despite tracking evidence suggesting not all along the Wasatch Front are heeding the governor’s admonition to “stay safe, stay home,” and although Utah County has not issued a stay-at-home order like its larger counterpart to the north, coronavirus deaths are low compared to the rest of the country.
Utah’s tech community has stepped up in a big way to facilitate the delivery of critical medical supplies and to launch TestUtah.com, which aims to double the state’s testing abilities.
Low testing rates, however, are puzzling state officials, and that needs to improve. “Right now, our testing strategy is working for us, we just need more people to seek it out,” urged Dr. Angela Dunn, epidemiologist with the Utah Department of Health.
With those structural pieces in place, and with more Utahns taking advantage of them, communities can build confidence among their residents and inspire them to gather when the time is right.
Sociality is, in this country, ingrained unusually deep. To bypass that appetite by narrowly focusing on the economy increases the likelihood of a botched reopening where thousands more Americans become unnecessarily exposed to the coronavirus, perhaps protracting the nation’s efforts well into the summer.
To borrow a phrase, Americans would be better served to stay social by staying safe.