I am not an infectious disease expert, so I can only go so far commenting about coronavirus. But I can make these observations:
*Human beings (leaders, professionals) are not omniscient, can’t predict the future, make mistakes, and the Law of Unintended Consequences happens.
For example, schools close to reduce spread of the virus. Good? Maybe. But we can’t foresee what kids will do w/this time, or ID umpteen other ripple effects.
Similar re shutting down major sports schedules. Good? No one knows.
Remember Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld?
“We know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns—the ones we don't know we don't know. And if one looks throughout the history of our country and other free countries, it is the latter category that tend to be the difficult ones.”
By the way, this goes for Republicans and Democrats, Media and Entertainment, Business and Nonprofit, even Religion.
This said, I also don’t know if draconian mass closings will help slow the virus. However, I can say that I do not like governors like Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer using executive orders to ban gatherings including churches.
I know this is not an anti-religious action. But I still don’t like ceding to the government power over religious assembly. A public health crisis is short-term, while unhindered religious congregation is a matter of church and state, a long-term basic civil liberty essential to free society.
Sorry, I just don’t like the optics or the reality of these “orders.”
© Rex M. Rogers – All Rights Reserved, 2020
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