I wrote about why reopening the economy is not really about ending a government-imposed shutdown, and more about making people feel safe going back to work.

Feat. charts!

https://freebeacon.com/coronavirus/lawmakers-want-to-reopen-america-but-it-may-not-so-be-easy">https://freebeacon.com/coronavir...

That first chart is my favorite in the piece. Basically, I looked at how OpenTable reservations declined prior to official restaurant closures. People were already eating out much less before they were officially told to stop!

I also replicated a New York Times finding that showed how Italians stopped searching for loss of smell as a symptom once its significance was learned. People do actually read the news! You can change their behavior with information!

If we really want Americans to go back to work, it& #39;s less about cutting a giant ribbon, and much more about changing their risk assessments—meaning test, test, test!