Where has all the logic gone
I have seen posts that state that logical folks are not okay right now. And for good reason. If you look at a lot of the COVID guidance logically, you will find lots of problems. Why is that the case? I think I have an idea of a couple of reasons why.
The first reason is that we are trying to create a set of rules that are monitorable. I can easily tell if you wear a mask, so that is monitorable and therefore it is good. It is much harder to determine if you are always keeping your distance from others, so that is not as important. If you use hand sanitizer after you grab the door that everyone else is going to grab, that is monitorable and good. But if you use hand sanitizer in your car before coming in, so your hands are sterilized before touching that door, that is not monitorable, and is not acceptable behavior, unless of course you also use hand sanitizer once you are in the building, since you are now monitorable again.
If you have your temperature taken, and don’t have a fever, that is another monitorable thing. If you are sneezing or have a runny nose, that is monitorable, and you will be asked to leave, even though these are not standard COVID symptoms. While there are many symptoms that can be monitored by others, many of the most telling ones are not relatively visible. Tiredness, loss of smell, and loss of taste, some of the most common symptoms of COVID-19, are hard to see. Sure, if someone is wearing socks with their sandals, or a fanny pack, you might think they have suffered from a loss of taste and ask them to leave, but chances are that COVID is not responsible for that kind of loss of taste.
A second problem we have is that we look at things based on our prejudices. If it is something we want to do, we think it is okay to do it. If it is something we don’t like to do ourselves, we look at it as dangerous. One person may never eat out in restaurants, but travel around the country as they see fit. Another person may refuse to travel, but go to the restaurant or bar near their home. One person may avoid church services, but go to a concert. Another may go to church, but would not go to a concert or sporting event for anything. This leads to the whole “Big box stores are allowed much bigger attendance for their size than independent stores” or churches, etc.
The government makes rules that seem illogical, because they are based on monitorability and prejudices of what should be acceptable. This tends to support conspiracy theorists who assume that government control is being made for some nefarious purpose. The follow on to that is we have groups who fight against even the sensible restrictions that can truly help to mitigate this pandemic. In other words, by trying to control us to mitigate the pandemic, the government actually makes things worse. On the other side, we have people who assume that if they follow all the rules they will be safe, and that is also wrong. If you are wearing a mask, you are assumed safe, and therefore I can spend more time with you without social distancing, which may be much less safe that spending time with an unmasked person at 6 feet or more distance.
So what would be a better way to handle this? First and foremost, a consistent and calming message needs to be pushed. Yes, you need to act, but not by putting your head in the sand. The standard mantra of the CDC and the WHO, “Maintain social distancing, wash your hands frequently, and wear a mask when you can’t social distance” is actually good advice. Stay home when you are sick is excellent advice. Consider getting a vaccine when it comes available, especially if you have not already had COVID-19 is good advice. But then get out of the way and let people make their own decisions on how to best use that advice. Do not mandate masks. Do not mandate vaccines. Do not stigmatize those who choose different paths. Assume that people, when given good information and allowed to make their own decisions, will work toward self preservation.
The only two roles I see for the government in this is to get out unbiased information, and to help people have the ability to follow that guidance. In the first, making sure that all points of view and issues are presented, so that people can make informed decisions, is the key. We will quickly identify any attempt to force us to accept a certain viewpoint, and will reject it simply because of that attempt. In the second, there are blockers to staying at home when you are sick, that the government could help with. Making sure that people can get all the basic necessities when sick without getting out among others is important. Making sure that missing work due to illness is acceptable and not a financial risk for workers is necessary to get this important step to be followed. Limited capacities based on size and normal movement patterns, can be important to allow those attending the opportunity to social distance. Then get out of the way and let everyone decide how best to keep themselves safe. Of course the government has failed miserably in both of those roles.