Don’t Panic! We’re living in an age extreme partisanship unlike anything I’ve seen in my lifetime. It’s unfortunate that these forces have latched onto this virus. To bad they won’t destroy it. Covid-19 is a genuine threat. The federal response requires clear eyed assessment and action; not a mirror reflection of the unreasoning fear gripping the public. As with wildfires, covid-19 hysteria has taken on a life of its own.
“For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind:”
Hosea 8.7
Public policy should be constructive, fairly considering all the implications of the various options, free of partisan politics. This is not happening. Bold measures, with specific objectives, have been superseded by a steady list of extreme measures competing for the title of most draconian.
Many of these policies are of questionable effectiveness even if they could be fully implemented. Some not only upend the economy and fuel irrational fear, but will likely compound the spread of the virus. Unreasoning hysteria may be the greatest public threat we are currently facing.
Drive through clinics are innovative, but by virtue of scale, cannot be an effective front line. Public awareness, reinforced by suspension of large gatherings is prudent and effective. I doubt that closing colleges and public schools advances the cause of covid-19 control and may in fact accelerate it’s spread. Students are not going home to self quarantine, and it’s silly puddy policy to think otherwise. It’s extremely damaging to the economy, fuels hysteria and distributes millions of returning students throughout the nation to serve as spreaders of the virus.
It makes more sense to prohibit college students from returning to their homes prior to being tested. Keep public education engaged and students occupied, but limit inter school activities; and keep parents working. Disrupting the economy and fabric of life will not make us safer. Washing of hands, maintaining separation, emphasizing hygienic issues, systematic efforts to cleanse public surfaces etc. will help.
Helping those who are sick and need to be isolated, is opportunity for community service. We need to be determined and practical in promoting policy which increases public safety and will produce long term benefits as well; reducing the spread of the common cold and flu viruses in addition to covid-19.
Preparing for the increased demands on the health care system is prudent. Repealing regulations restricting the development of antiviral vaccines, testing kits and involving the private sector, is being done and is constructive. Developing a framework for identifying outbreaks and deploying increased federal resources to those areas is constructive. These things can be done, without fanning the atmosphere of hysteria, which currently may pose a greater threat to our health and well being than covid-19.
Christians need to be the voice of calm and reason. We need to pray for our leaders and be clear eyed in our preparation to minister to the needs of our neighbors. The current “health scare” and coming “health care” challenge, needs to be met with diligent and practical solutions. Modifying our public behavior and hygiene practices provide reasonable levels of protection, while tamping down the fear and hysteria gripping the masses. Leading by example, our message will communicate hope, not fear. God is the great healer and hope of world, and we are his messengers.
2 replies on “Be Practical, Prayerful, and Prepared.”
I’m in agreement with social distancing and avoiding groups as much as possible, but you are right, grinding our economy to a halt and whipping up a frenzy of worry and panic is not a responsible way to deal with this. I feel that part of the problem is that culture has been enamored with the concept of a global pandemic, zombie apocalypse, etc, so now the only natural reaction is one of imagining those scenarios instead of the reality that, while serious, this is not a major threat to humanity, or even without our overreaction, a major threat to our daily lives.
Hysteria is never constructive. It short circuits creativity and runs interference with those that are working constructively.