CLERMONT COUNTY, Ohio — The same dramatic spread of covid-19 that is leading health officials, governors and numerous media voices to call for more restrictions on our behavior is also making more restrictions a tougher sell. Why? Because almost everyone has by now been touched by the virus, either being infected themselves or having family members or friends diagnosed with it, and they’re drawing their own conclusions.
It’s only natural. Though there are aspects of covid-19 that are not fully understood, including why some people suffer lingering health problems, the majority of cases pass quickly without requiring medical assistance. Yes, there are of course exceptions, usually among the elderly with underlying health problems; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 94 percent of covid-related deaths have, on average, nearly three other “comorbidity” issues.
These cases should affect our thinking, but so should the much larger share that pass without serious consequences. People in my family have been diagnosed with covid-19. Fortunately, their symptoms were mild and they quickly recovered. Policymakers need to better grapple with the effect of that basic, most common outcome.
In Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine (R) took a hardline approach early on. Just this week, he announced a new three-week curfew. But along with lockdowns and restrictions, DeWine has chosen the language of fear, warning alternately that “the monster is still loose” and “our state’s life is now in danger” and the virus is “coming after all of us.” He has also played the guilt card, asking: “Will the family reunion be worth it if your grandmother tests positive and dies?”
Such overwrought language is counterproductive and can only erode trust. My daughter is the oldest of my four children, and she has always had a nurturing spirit. With three younger brothers, she was often both sister and second mom to them through the years. She and her husband are parents to two daughters, and she has spent two decades as an elementary school teacher. When the coronavirus came along, she worried about her grandparents — my parents — who are both well into their 80s. She ran errands for them, urged them to stay home and checked on them every day. She tried to keep them in a safe bubble.
But as she recounted this month in a Facebook post, “My grandpa finally sat me down and told me that he would not live in fear. He would not isolate or social distance or wear a mask when he did not need to. He understands that the simple flu could take him out. He understands that a car accident could take him out. He wants to live his life and he completely changed my mind about things. I will not live in fear. … I know who ultimately holds my fate in His hands.”
Social media is filled with tragic stories of elderly Americans passing away after weeks or months in isolation, with no physical contact from family or friends. One friend this week posted a picture of her elderly mom, who is in a nursing home. “She just recovered from Covid,” she wrote. “I haven’t hugged her for 9 months.”
Most Americans who chafe at covid-19 restrictions understand science, but not everyone worships at its altar. They balance the science with other lived principles such as faith, family and freedom. We should all respect those who choose to quarantine, especially elderly Americans and people with serious medical conditions, and do our best to keep hospitals from being overwhelmed. But even with vaccines finally on the horizon, there are those, including National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony S. Fauci, who submit that Americans should accept being a masked, distanced and isolated people for months to come because of the dangers of the virus spreading in the interim. Some will call objections to such suggestions short-sighted “covid fatigue.” Others will call it the American spirit yearning to be free.
During the election, these disparate approaches to covid-19 were starkly represented by President Trump and Joe Biden. Biden prevailed, but Trump still won 47 percent of the vote, and they each carried 25 states. So how does a divided America resolve its differences on covid-19? “Just wear the damn mask!” won’t win over those who resist restrictions, any more than raising alarms about constitutional freedoms will sway those who believe we should obediently follow government edicts. Let’s ditch the stereotypes — lockdown resisters are not ignorant or uncaring any more than advocates for restrictive health precautions think the Constitution is irrelevant.
The disagreements are heartfelt. Finding a balance that everyone can accept will require respect and compromise — two things in short supply in the United States right now but just as important as hospital workers and medical science for the well-being of our nation.
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