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The debate about whether to reopen the economy: simplified.

With all of the uncertainty about COVID-19 itself, the cure, the economy, and the future, everything seems to be a mess. As a school newspaper, we try to avoid political content because politics is a tense area, for there are many different opinions within our school, and we want to keep our publication positive. However, with our country being in the state that it is currently in, we find it necessary to discuss what is happening in the world beyond our little corner of it. This article is not going to be biased, for I am not an opinionated person; it will present both sides of the debate on whether or not the economy should be reopened in simple terms. With so many different perspectives from so many different news sources, it can be difficult to understand what is happening. Sometimes it is nice to have complex issues broken down so they can be better understood. Then you can form your opinion on this issue, if you haven’t already. It’s also okay to not have an opinion (like me) because this issue is out of your control. Here are the two main views on whether or not the economy should be reopened soon.

The economy should be reopened soon because “We can’t let the cure be worse than the problem itself.”

- President Donald Trump

The economy should be reopened because more people would suffer from having the economy continue to be shut down (except for “essential” businesses) than if more people were exposed to COVID-19. There are several reasons for this including the health of the economy, the mental health of the people, the need to gain herd immunity through exposure, and the need to restore the rights of the people of a free nation.

The economic shutdown has caused many small businesses to go out of business and left many people unemployed or furloughed, not receiving a paycheck. While the government has been aiding these people and businesses, it has not done much to help them. Even if the government did provide more aid, it would just bring the country deeper into debt. People are trapped in their homes, stressing about when they will get their next paycheck, and depressed about the seemingly poor prospects.

The combination of the virus killing thousands of Americans, the anticipated economic depression, the lack of freedom, and uncertainty is overwhelming Americans, spiraling them into depression. Even worse, it doesn’t look like it’s going to end any time soon. Many people will probably develop PTSD from this. If the economy reopens soon, more Americans would get back to work and receive a paycheck, which would be one less thing for them to worry about. It would also provide them with a sense of security and could improve the economy, potentially saving us from a depression.

While people argue that we must keep the economy shut down in order to protect the health and safety of Americans by not letting the virus spread more, reopening the economy would produce “the greatest good for the greatest number,” or benefit the majority at the expense of the minority. Yes, more people would die if we reopened the economy, however, it is a sacrifice that we as a nation are going to have to make for our economic health. In a way, it is natural selection. Yes, it could lead to a flood of the hospitals, but most healthy Americans would be strong enough to combat the virus. There is also this idea of herd immunity. Herd immunity is the idea that once the majority of the population becomes exposed to and then immune to the virus, it would be less likely to spread to those who aren’t immune. This works because there would not be enough carriers to spread the virus to them. Herd immunity can also be achieved through vaccination, but it is not likely that an effective vaccination will be developed soon. During this process, healthy Americans would go about their “normal” lives while the vulnerable stay isolated until herd immunity is achieved. While there are still negatives of herd immunity, it is a potential way to end this pandemic sooner.

Also, by putting us on shutdown, the government is taking away the natural, inalienable rights that our country was founded on. As people, we are entitled to the natural rights of “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” By keeping us in lockdown, we are being deprived of our right to liberty. We are also being deprived of our right to the pursuit of happiness because we cannot be with the people we love, do the things we love to do, and go to work to earn money to buy things that will help us survive and thrive.

No matter whether we reopen the economy or remain in an economic shutdown, people will suffer and die, the question is which is the lesser of the two evils. If the economy stays shut down, more Americans would lose their jobs and fall deeper into financial insecurity, which could lead to an increase in suicide and other preventable illnesses. Nevertheless, if the economy reopens, Americans will have more certainty and security, which could improve their mental health and lessen how deep the country falls into an economic depression. People who support reopening the economy at the expense of the lives of the minority tend to be conservative and support the “Open It Up” Movement and the Operation Gridlock protests.

We must continue to keep the economy shut down to protect the lives of innocent people.

Reopening the economy would only make the pandemic worse. There are several reasons for this including hospital capacity, more non-COVID related deaths, more COVID related deaths, and astroturfing measures by interest groups would mean more than American lives.

Hospitals would be flooded, which would put health care workers at a greater risk and lead to many preventable deaths. Hospitals are already crowded and having more people who need medical care would significantly decrease the quality of medical care each person would receive.

In addition, this could lead to people dying from otherwise treatable illnesses because they would not be able to receive the medical care they need. Not only would people be dying from COVID-19 itself, but people with other illnesses would be dying as well. If the economy reopens and more people are exposed to the virus, certain groups of the population in particular would suffer significantly, particularly the elderly, minorities, and poor. The elderly are more likely to die from the virus because they have weakened immune systems and other underlying health conditions. The poor and minorities are also more likely to die than their middle- and upper-class counterparts because they have less access to quality health care and do not typically eat healthy. If the poor and minority populations are hit hard with the virus, the economy would suffer because they make up a decent portion of the “essential” workers that everyone relies on. Then people will complain about their Amazon orders being behind schedule or waiting in longer lines at the grocery store.

In addition to the death aspect of the issue, there is also the political aspect. This movement started because of astroturfing, which Merriam-Webster defines as “organized activity that is intended to create a false impression of a widespread, spontaneously arising, grassroots movement in support of or in opposition to something (such as a political policy) but that is in reality initiated and controlled by a concealed group or organization (such as a corporation).” Encyclopedia Britannica defines grassroots as a “type of movement or campaign that attempts to mobilize individuals to take some action to influence an outcome, often of a political nature.” This resistance movement is fueled by politicians and corporate leaders who are trying to motivate people to protest and protect the “American way of life” over the lives of actual Americans.

Our number one priority as a nation should be to protect the lives of people. We would not be doing that if we reopened the economy before we flatten the curve. People who support staying in lockdown until we “flatten the curve,” which means that we socially isolate until the number of coronavirus cases is manageable for health care workers, are usually liberal and are willing to obey their government even if it means sacrificing some of their individual liberties for the common good.

Now that you know the general idea of both sides of this controversial issue, you can form your opinion. Who do you agree with? Do you have an opinion? It’s okay to not have an opinion because this is such a complicated issue. It is a question of morality, the American way of life, and the value of life. How many lives are we willing to sacrifice for the health of the economy? Will we ever get our American way of life back? How long can we stay locked up? What is moral? The problem is that both sides have significant consequences. Both sides are moral. Both sides are immoral. It’s a lose-lose situation. However, as depressing as this sounds, there is hope. People have gone through tragedy in the past and survived. We will get out of this. The question is how long it is going to take. Even if our lives will never be the same, the hope is that this pandemic will teach us something and be the building block of solving other problems in the future. While it is good to stay informed as a citizen, don’t be afraid to unplug from the negativity once in a while. Count your blessings, feel the earth beneath your feet, breathe the air, never lose hope, and smile because you are alive and have people who care about you. While the future is uncertain, we still have the present, which is in our control.

Sources:

Bergan, Daniel E. “Grassroots.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2 Aug. 2016, www.britannica.com/topic/grassroots.

Burke, Analysis by Daniel. “The Dangerous Morality behind the 'Open It Up' Movement.” CNN, Cable News Network, 24 Apr. 2020, www.cnn.com/2020/04/23/us/reopening-country-coronavirus-utilitarianism/index.html.

Lee, Alicia. “What Is Herd Immunity and Why Some Think It Could End the Coronavirus Pandemic.” CNN, Cable News Network, 23 Apr. 2020, www.cnn.com/2020/04/23/health/coronavirus-herd-immunity-explainer-wellness-scn-trnd/index.html.

KATE LISAJohnson Newspaper Corp. “Operation Gridlock: Protesters in Albany Demand Cuomo Reopen N.Y.” NNY360, 22 Apr. 2020, www.nny360.com/top_stories/operation-gridlock-protesters-in-albany-demand-cuomo-reopen-n-y/article_be9d33c2-0cda-5515-8f5b-ae93f033d21f.html.

Tesfaye, Sophia. “Trump's Tea Party: Are Right-Wing ‘Open the Country’ Protests an AstroTurf Operation?” Salon, Salon.com, 17 Apr. 2020, www.salon.com/2020/04/16/trumps-tea-party-are-right-wing-open-the-country-protests-an-astroturf-operation/.

“Q&A: Similarities and Differences – COVID-19 and Influenza.” World Health Organization, World Health Organization, www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/q-a-similarities-and-differences-covid-19-and-influenza#:~:text=Mortality for COVID-19,quality of health care.

Make the Most of Quarantine

During these unprecedented times, we are advised to stay in our homes and thus not attend school. While we still have some virtual school work, school does not occupy our entire day anymore. Between school, sports, extracurriculars, homework, and social events, we do not have much free time during the school year. Even our weekends are used to attend sports meets or do homework. Most of us probably dreamed of a day where we would not have any obligations, be able to relax, and do the things we enjoy. That day has come. While it should not have taken a global pandemic to allow us to stay home and relax for once, it happened nonetheless. Yes, staying home for weeks on end can become boring. However, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to focus on yourself. Without all of those obligations, you actually have some time to slow down and get yourself together. Too often do we put all of our focus into our work and friends. As a result, we neglect ourselves. Now is the time to change that. It does not look like you are going to be leaving the house anytime soon, so why not improve yourself? Now is the perfect time to reflect on everything and realize exactly where you are in life. Maybe you can address those problems that you have ignored. Since we are not going to be in quarantine forever (or lets hope not), you will return to the world at some point. Why not spend this time on improving yourself so you can reenter the world a better person? If you take the time to focus on yourself, you might realize that you are a pretty cool person.