A couple of weeks ago I wrote a piece about the sense of dread and general exhaustion that COVID has brought about. While this crisis has exposed a lot of issues, it's important to note that I remain bullishly optimistic about the future.
A few people have discussed this piece with me and generally, all the people I've spoken with agree, but some of them have made some very valid comments, one of which I was intrigued by. I was asked what I would do if I were in our supreme leader's™ proverbial shoes.
Let's start with what I think is the most important underlying idea behind a proper response to the pandemic: paying close attention to 100+ years of modern medicine and multiple epidemics that have allowed us to develop effective protocols that protect the vulnerable without destroying the economy and the overall health of the population.
In actionable terms that means effectively protecting the elderly and the people with co-morbidities, making rapid antigen tests widely available for in-home testing and putting out recommendations for safe social interactions and general COVID hygiene. Ultimately, it would be up to individuals to decide how and when to apply these measures, based on their own circumstances and tolerance to risk. Finally, putting a strong focus on long-term physical and mental health implications of any of the contemplated measures.
Another comparatively easy and cost-effective policy to implement is to spread out information on healthy lifestyles. Eating well, moderate exercise, lots of sleep, etc. all contribute to better health and stronger immune systems. For example, it would seem that our population suffers from massive vitamin D deficiency, which has been linked to more severe symptoms from a COVID infection.
That aside, I think it comes down to a difference in views about how the problem should be approached. On one hand you have the top-down, heavy-handed, one-size-fits-all approach that we've all become too familiar with and sick of. On the other, you have the spreading evidence-based information to the population, with recommendations on how to take care of themselves and then let them decide for themselves how much risk they're willing to take.
I can hardly imagine a restaurant owner or shopkeeper doing anything that would put any customer at undue risk, as failing to keep people safe would mean the death of their business. Death by a thousand bad reviews, that is. Everything points to the fact that politicians don't have a magic wand that enables them to make better decisions than the average citizen, and arguably make even worse decisions since they cannot possibly know all the factors that their constituents have to take into account when making these decisions.
It's not controversial to call out private companies that behave despotically and many have had to change in the face of public scrutiny. The real question is: why is it any different for governments and why should we accept what they command us to do at face value more readily?