Exactly! Not only are we the wealthiest country, our healthcare system is the most expensive. So what are we getting that is "better" for all that cost? Seems like we should figure out what other countries who are more on top of this are doing, and see if we can implement some of that. I think it's also partly a cultural problem, where some people are conditioned to believe that "the common good" == communism or something along those lines.
Well, that would make sense, to look at Germany, South Korea, Greece for goodness sake! Greece has done an incredible job given their resources.
Because we don't have adequate testing, contact tracing and isolation of infected persons in place yet, we're still flying blind to a certain degree. We're working on it, but we're way behind the curve. And because of that fact, our economic recovery will be long, tough slog.
Since we don't have those tools up to speed, trust plays a vital role in how people will behave with respect to economic participation. I completely trust my next door neighbor. We've known her for 12 years. We're having lovely "socially distant" conversations over our shared fence. I know that she's avoiding crowds because she's told me so. The neighbors across the street aren't behaving in that same manner. I see them having gatherings outside with friends and family groups. Their small children are all playing together, as if nothing has happened. They're moving inside and outside of their home, all close together, as if this was the regular kick-off to the summer. Seeing that makes me think of all of the other people behaving that way, and how it will spread the virus.
And so I'll avoid them, and because I know that there are plenty others like them, who could be silent spreaders of the virus, I'll avoid participating in the greater economy as much as possible until we have better therapeutics, or hopefully a vaccine.
After 9/11, I really felt like we all pulled together as a nation. This time, not so much. And sadly, that fact has already baked in a very difficult economy in the coming months/years.
