Caring About The Economic Consequences Of The Shutdowns Doesn't Make You A Terrible Person

It’s hard to believe how long we’ve been social-distancing and quarantining. All around the world, people are working remotely, homeschooling their children…and losing their jobs. Suicide rates and domestic abuse cases have skyrocketed. Yet, when people question how long the quarantine will last, they’re told that they don’t care about human lives.

“Flattening the Curve"

The initial goal when America decided to close its economy was to “flatten the curve.” The idea was, if fewer people were interacting with each other, then the infection rate would be slower. The fear was that hospitals would be overwhelmed if there were a sudden spike of people contracting COVID-19. Here’s the thing: the same number of people would contract Coronavirus – it would just happen more slowly and over time so that everyone would have the ability to get treatment.

Then, all of a sudden, the conversation changed. The goalposts moved. The question wasn’t, “Did we flatten the curve?” Now, it was, “Even if we flattened the curve, will anyone die if we leave quarantine?” Of course, we all want to save lives. We all have people we are concerned about and want to stay safe. But the only way to actually prevent deaths directly caused by Coronavirus, rather than slow them down, is to stay in lockdown until a vaccine has been found — which could take approximately two years. So the ultimate question is: At what cost do we keep the economy shut down? Read the rest at Evie Magazine.