The United States of America had the same
information regarding COVID-19 as the rest of the
world. However, unlike countries such as South Korea,
Germany, and Australia, the U.S. chose not to act
swiftly to the looming threat of a global pandemic. This
decision cost thousands of lives.
In a contribution to
The Atlantic, Thomas Chatterson
Williams details the stark contrast between the U.S.
response to COVID-19 versus the European country.
Williams, who lives in France, describes reentering life
as France knew it before the virus, months after their
president mandated one of the most aggressive
nationwide quarantines.
After shutting down tourism and issuing stay-at-home
orders (with financial compensation), France contained
the virus and enjoyed life as it once was pre-corona, in
just a few months. As France reopened, Thomas was
concerned with how eager French citizens were to
resume public life amidst the virus.
However, this was before he realized how dire the
pandemic was stateside in comparison. In July, France
totaled more than 6,000 new COVID-19 cases a day,
while the U.S. clocked in at 50,000. According to the
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
(ECDC), the U.S. has an infection rate of 120 cases per
10,000 people while France only has 20 cases per
10,000. This analysis accounts for the difference in
population sizes between the two countries. In other
words, the U.S. is still being overcome by COVID-19,
seven months into the pandemic.
Americans should be concerned with their growing
desensitization to death and illness. None of what we
see happening is normal. Infection rates in the U.S.
should not still be climbing. While it's perfectly
acceptable to temporarily adapt to life during a
pandemic, accepting it without the expectation of
returning to a better quality of life should not be
tolerated.
It's not normal to be unable to hug your family
members and friends, nor is it normal (or healthy) to
stay in the house for copious amounts of time. We
should not accept the fact that more than 200,000
people have died due to this virus, and there doesn't
seem to be an end in sight. None of this should be
tolerated, especially when we've witnessed the success
of other countries that have had a much more rigorous
coronavirus response than the U.S.
According to the Pew Research Center, 52 percent of
Americans are dissatisfied with the U.S. response to
the coronavirus. Fifty-eight percent of Americans also
believe that more international cooperation would have
reduced the number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S.
During a global health crisis, nations across the world
collaborate to develop treatment plans and vaccines
for whatever ailment is afflicting the population. Many
of these scientific breakthroughs are impossible
without worldwide knowledge to pool from.
Additionally, people in general, learn more and learn
faster when they're learning together. The response to
the Ebola outbreak of 2014 is an example of this type
of collaboration.
America's delayed response to the coronavirus is part
of the reason why the country is still in the virus' grip.
Americans should not accept lukewarm measures to
contain the COVID-19 in place of ambitious rigorous
strategies, such as contact tracing and unlimited free
testing. Turning pandemic life into a "new normal" is
complacency. If we're okay living like this, then we will
be okay with thousands of more people dying or
otherwise being seriously impacted by the virus. If we
accept COVID-19 as a new way of life, in place of a
united and healthy existence, what else are we willing
to compromise?
OPINION
By Tempest Wright, Staff Writer
PAGE 12 October 2020
