The Winter of Discontent
AS INDIA DESCENDED INTO A COVID-19 tragedy that dwarfed anything the country had experienced in the pandemic so far, with hospitals inundated, oxygen supplies short and vaccines reportedly being stolen from warehouses, American politicians seven thousand miles away were clamoring to end pandemic restrictions.
Representative Jim Jordan railed at Dr. Anthony Fauci in the House chambers, “You don’t think Americans’ liberties have been threatened the last year, Dr. Fauci? They’ve been assaulted!” Alabama Governor Kay Ivey told Fox News, “We have been at this for more than a year now, and we have simply got to move forward. Endless government mandates are not the answer.”
Many Americans are looking forward to a summer of quasi-normal human interactions, where it’s okay to invite your friends for a barbeque, belly up to a crowded bar, attend a concert or eat dinner in a popular restaurant. Texas and Florida have already allowed beaches and bars to open to capacity. The mayor of New York City, a year after its catastrophic outbreak, announced a lifting of restrictions on businesses on July 1, only to be one-upped by the governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, who will remove restrictions on May 19. As vaccinations reduce the virus’ ability to spread, new cases are now expected to begin dropping exponentially. The summer of love is at hand.
But the pandemic is not over. In the U.S., the nation is still divided in its willingness to accept vaccines or heed precautions against infection. Vaccination rates have peaked and herd immunity now seems unlikely before next winter, almost guaranteeing that pockets of people will remain vulnerable to the
