Reopening the country: guest writers Ethan Riscovallez and Mac Muehlberger share their take

By senior Ethan Riscovallez:

When coronavirus first reached Johnson County, local governments took immediate action to prevent a possible tragedy. Statistical models warned of a possible surge of serious coronavirus cases that would overwhelm our health infrastructure and result in thousands of lives being lost. A stay at home order was put in place, and restrictions were made on a provisional basis. Six months later, workers are still wondering if we will ever be able to return to normal and begin the road to recovery.

An argument common among those who maintain that more sections of the economy should be shut is that those who want to reopen simply want to “get a haircut,” or “sacrifice old people for the economy.” This one dimensional view is not only ignorant but also displays a false compassion for the public’s health. 

One big misconception is that of separating the economic prosperity of a nation from the social impact the prosperity (or lack thereof) has on its population. It is easy to view the unemployment rate and wage growth (or lack thereof) as simply numbers and statistics, but we must remember that behind these numbers are real people; they’re families, single mothers, and they’re our neighbors. In his 1982 study Corporate Flight, Dr. Barry Bluestone found that each 1% rise in unemployment can be attributed to 37,000 deaths. This is due to the rise in suicides, substance abuse, alcoholism, and other health conditions brought on not only by poverty, but by the depression that often comes with it. Many studies have been done since Bluestone first published Corporate Flight, but it is generally accepted figure that each 1% rise in unemployment causes 10,000-40,000 deaths– keep in mind that as of now, we are at 8% unemployment with the Federal Reserve warning of potentially “tragic” consequences if more stimulus is not provided. Regrettably, these are not just theoretical statistics. 

In July, CDC director Redfield stated, “We’re seeing far greater suicides now than we are deaths from Covid, We’re seeing far greater deaths from drug overdose [than from Covid].” With unemployment at around 10% in July and around 200,000 Covid deaths, it appears as if Bluestone’s projections related to unemployment caused deaths have come true. Perhaps scarier, though,  is the realization that the suicides and deaths from drug overdoses are only short term deaths, and we have not even begun to experience the long term effect of economic catastrophe caused by a shut down, which, according to the Imperial College London, would have to last two years to be an effective remedy in the fight against Covid. We can see this routine around the world, when we shutdown, coronavirus cases will go down, as soon as we reopen, coronavirus cases shoot right back up again, and thus we lock ourselves in a never ending cycle of economic and social misery, resulting in far greater deaths than Covid would’ve ever caused, defeating the entire point of a lockdown in the first place. 

Now America needs relief, the politicians who put these rules in place now must cede power back to the people in hopes that an economic and social recovery can begin.

By senior Mac Muehlberger:

To most Americans, it is clear that the economic downturn we are facing is linked to the pandemic. Unfortunately, it is still unclear to many Americans that before we reopen the economy, we must first deal with the pandemic. The quickest way we can get the economy up and running again is by dealing with the pandemic. The president refused to acknowledge that the COVID-19 presented a real national threat, and as a result the economy took a downturn. Though many states and companies took action to limit the spread, it was not enough to save the economy. The president’s actions allowed for unemployment to rise where it now stands at 7.9% according to Trading Economics. 

Even if we “reopen” the economy, it won’t necessarily give it the boost that it needs. According to Harvard Economist Raj Chetty, the sharpest drops in unemployment were actually workers in what he calls “rich ZIP codes.” That does not mean the rich lost their jobs, but that low-income workers in rich areas lost their jobs. According to Chetty, businesses in richer areas layed off nearly 70% of employees. Chetty claims that “reductions in spending by the rich have led to loss in jobs mostly for low-income individuals working in affluent areas.” The workers that are then laid off no longer have the option to buy goods, thus continuing to hurt the economy and spreading downturn to poorer areas where the pandemic hits hardest. People in low-income communities can not afford to work remotely. Chetty also compares two states: Minnesota and Wisconsin. Minnesota allowed reopening weeks before Wisconsin, but did not see any more of an economic boost. Chetty claims that “It’s because high-income folks are able to work remotely, are choosing to self-isolate and are being cautious given health concerns. And unless you fundamentally address that concern, I think there’s limited capacity to restart the economy.”

Furthermore, the government has not passed a stimulus package since March, and it did not do nearly enough to boost the economy. There needs to be another, stronger package. Small businesses are in dire need of money, or else they will continue to lay off employees. The American people need more stimulus checks. People renting homes or apartments need rent forgiveness. According to The Nation, 23 million American renters face eviction. 

As Americans, we need to be supporting people like Joe Biden. Not only does he care about public health, but he also cares about the economic well being of the American people. Biden is in favor of setting up a national pandemic board, similar to Roosevelt’s War Production Board, that would ramp up testing. Joe Biden has also called for full use of the defense production act so that “so that the national supply of personal protective equipment exceeds demand and our stores and stockpiles,” according to his website. Joe Biden understands that before we can reopen the economy, we have to solve this national pandemic. That is something our current president does not understand.