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A participant invited me to listen to a call between elected officials in the Kansas City area about how & when to reopen from Covid19. It was fascinating to hear how politicians candidly talk/think about these things. Here are some highlights. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/24/us/coronavirus-midwest-mayors-reopening.html
Two main takeaways:
1) As important as what they actually do is how they sell what they're doing to the public.
2) Phase 1 of the "reopening" is going to be a reopening in name only. Things need to stay shutdown but they want the public to feel like restrictions are relaxing.
1) As important as what they actually do is how they sell what they're doing to the public.
2) Phase 1 of the "reopening" is going to be a reopening in name only. Things need to stay shutdown but they want the public to feel like restrictions are relaxing.
One way to make people feel like things are opening up:
“Maybe the city halls open back up, but they’re under controlled environments," @cityofLS city manager said. "I do think we’re going to have to show some kind of movement."
“Maybe the city halls open back up, but they’re under controlled environments," @cityofLS city manager said. "I do think we’re going to have to show some kind of movement."
With different places in the region setting different dates for reopening -- May 3 vs. May 15 -- the mayor of @BlueSpringsGov was concerned about confusing the public:
“I am getting pushback from my constituents. All these different stay-at-home dates makes for confusion."
“I am getting pushback from my constituents. All these different stay-at-home dates makes for confusion."
The mayor of @gladstonemo said rolling back restrictions sooner rather than later was necessary because people had stopped complying.
"There’s no way to enforce this stuff, so you have to have the confidence of the population to voluntarily comply with these rules."
"There’s no way to enforce this stuff, so you have to have the confidence of the population to voluntarily comply with these rules."
. @QuintonLucasKC was the most forceful of the elected leaders about holding off on reopening too soon.
"What I cannot simply say is, ‘Well, good luck to everybody over 60 or overweight in Kansas City, Mo., with some higher likelihood of infection.'"
"What I cannot simply say is, ‘Well, good luck to everybody over 60 or overweight in Kansas City, Mo., with some higher likelihood of infection.'"
A top health official on the call, @kumcagreiner, was very concerned about the push to reopen. He suggested that officials were moving too quickly.
"We have to have staged stay-at-home information that, in the first stage, really doesn’t change much of anything.”
"We have to have staged stay-at-home information that, in the first stage, really doesn’t change much of anything.”
I know politicians are loathe to have candid deliberations openly, but I honestly felt that I better understood their struggles, regardless of their position. Their next call is Tuesday & I wonder if it would actually help their cause to allow the entire public to listen in.
Read a condensed version of their discussion here. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/24/us/coronavirus-midwest-mayors-reopening.html
