Outside of Twitterland and the Punditocracy, no one is seriously talking about returning to normal as if SARS-CoV-2 didn’t exist. The CDC guidelines never recommended what the governors are doing now. It was simple: AVOID large gatherings. Wash your hands. 1/

The governors saw people not take if seriously & in a series of reactionary steps, slowly but surely implemented current policy. They are FIXATED on number of cases.” What they should have always focused on was cases vs hospital capacity *at the county and hyperlocal level.* 2/

It is not a measure of a people’s morality or compliance that recorded cases continue to grow in different regions of the country. The growth in confirmed cases comes with increased testing. We were never capable of quarantining this virus into nonexistence. 3/

The long asymptomatic incubation period made it impossible to *contain.* Its prevalence could only be *managed* while we study it, test treatments, test vaccines, set up sero-surveillance. The odds are, you WILL get this virus. Hopefully, later on. Way later. 4/

When the hospitals aren’t as swamped. When there is more info about treatments. And if you don’t get it this season, you’ll probably get it in the fall.

I am NOT saying go out and get it now. Not voluntarily. Let the odds play out. Stack them on the side of survival. 5/

Maybe it’ll just be a tickle and a bad fever; maybe you’ll get decked for two weeks and not go into ARDS; maybe HCQ won’t help you even if administered early, and your doc has to try something else. Maybe you’ll die. It’s not assured. 6/

For some people, they would rather live through this, cautiously but bravely, because they have mouths to feed. ROOT FOR THEIR SUCCESS. Pray for their health. And if your personal safety is important to you, don’t come into contact with them. 7/

Not everyone can stay at home through this and survive. Food banks, Trump Bux, PPP/SBA forgivable loans, all these were supposed to be for TWO WEEKS of shutdown. We are now in week four. The Federal government cannot print money forever. 8/

So: outside the pundit and political class is a huge cohort of the American people who are not on Twitter, who are eating one meal every two days to feed their children, who have no livelihood right now, who are stressed about rent and utilities. 9/

These people used to be able to live paycheck to paycheck *just fine.* “they should have had savings” can be your chorus as they march you to the lamppost. Now is not a time to moralize at them: we are approaching the time when the living will envy the dead. 10/

We are not meant to live like this. Your fellow countrymen do not wish ill on you for wishing to live their lives. In many ways, their livelihood will support yours. Because “the economy” is where we truly are all in together. Pray for a turnaround. Pray for each other. 11/11