Shelter In Place, Or Open Up The Country?

Frederic Aurelien/Staff Writer

“I’m gonna have to make a decision, And I only hope to God that it’s the right decision. But… I would say without question, it’s the biggest decision I’ve ever had to make.” 

That quote comes from sitting President Donald J. Trump. There is no doubt this has been a question of the utmost concern for our nation these past few days. 

Should we keep the country shut down and prioritize saving as many lives as possible, minimizing the death and destruction that this pandemic would create if it were left unchecked? Or should we open the economy back up as soon as we can to avoid the severe economic consequences that we’d have to suffer in the near future? 

Well, ladies and gentlemen, after examining these two options, it seems we’ve reached somewhat of an existential conundrum. The question is one of morality and philosophy, but most importantly, humanity. 

How we should choose to proceed at this moment, I think, will determine the future of this nation in a very profound way.

As of today, there have been more than 38,000 coronavirus deaths in the United States. 726 of those deaths come from our home state, Florida. Although the social distancing measures put in place to protect us have proven effective in mitigating the spread of the virus, it, of course, has not put this pandemic’s rampage to an end. The curve has been flattening, and the original estimation of the 100,000-240,000 deaths seems to be getting farther and farther away, but by no means should we assume that we’re in the clear yet. 

Medical experts say that if we reopen our economy too soon, it could cause the virus to resurge and take even more American lives. It’s true that there could be another 18 months until we see a working vaccine for COVID-19, but if we choose to absorb the damage and sacrifice human life for the sake of the economy now, the effects would be nothing short of devastating.

On the other hand, more than 22 million workers have filed for unemployment benefits during the shutdown. To put this in perspective, there were a total of 8.7 million jobs that were lost between 2008 and 2009 of the Great Recession. Although in this case, most employers would be rehiring the employees that they temporarily laid off, a continual loss in revenue and consumer consumption amidst a continued economic shutdown would threaten that security.

We could be leaving our homes to enter a possible economic recession, or in the worst-case scenario, a depression. This is a situation that would cause even more waves of human suffering, pain and civil unrest.

Protestors have taken to streets, presidents have taken to Twitter and amidst all of the chaos, movement is starting once again.

Just two days ago, hundreds of Floridians flocked as Governor Ron DeSantis decided to open beaches back up in Jacksonville. Although this is obviously a huge health risk, it’s a sign that Florida is in the process of trying to return to “normal,” for better or worse. 

It’s safe to say that deep down, everyone just wants to get back to their lives. As FIU students, we all want to go back to attending school events, enjoying cafecitos from Bustelo and even just walking by the Graham Center lawns on a sunny Florida day.

I mean, at the very least, uninstalling that god-forsaken Zoom app from our laptops once and for all would be a win in and of itself right?

As understandable as all of these emotions are, we have to remember that what’s most important is getting back to normal in the most efficient and effective way possible. What good would it be if we came back having to grieve professors, classmates or co-workers that died due to this pandemic? 

As far-fetched as it may seem, the ultimatum of life and death is a reality that thousands of Americans are dealing with today. We don’t need to choose sides by ignoring public health and urging the economy to immediately reopen, or by ignoring the economy and its working-class by pushing to keep the country completely shut down until a vaccine develops. We must prioritize saving as many lives as possible, while also keeping in mind the stabilization of our economy and the livelihoods of our people.

It’s a challenging time, but I believe that this time away from the world has taught us many lessons that we wouldn’t have learned otherwise. It has made us all brutally aware of our vulnerabilities, our weaknesses, our virtues and our evils.

From understanding the necessities to strengthen the social safety net programs in our country to being painfully aware of the many flaws within our medical industry, we have all been forced to look at the realities of our systems.

It’s unlikely that we will be able to return to the way things “were” before this, but that is a blessing. We will have much to laugh about, much to cry about, and even more to stand up and fight for when we come back to campus.

For that alone, I know that being back at FIU (whenever that is) will be worth the wait. 

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