Tuesday, November 17, 2020

In an alternate universe

Imagine, had Trump merely said consistently, wear a facemask in public, wear sun glasses or a face shield, wash your hands before touching your face, and follow whatever your local government asks you to do, he’d have been re-elected. No only would Trump have been re-elected, but tens of thousands fewer would be dead or struggling with the long-term after-effects of a bout of the corona virus. I'm leaving out social distancing, staying at home if you have a fever or if you know you were exposed to someone infected, and any appeal to a public spirit of let's help keep each other safe. I'm leaving out all the other measures that could be taken like setting up contact tracing or an app like "Aarogya Setu" or federal co-ordination between the states.