"The Return of the King:", p.123, by JRR Tolkien:
................Well, you must choose between orders and ....life.....I think you have
a madman to deal with, not a lord.
We are all Gondorians now, led by a madman and besieged by evil at our walls. No leadership comes from the high. People want reassurance and leadership offers none. People want transparency and leadership is more opaque. People want solutions and leadership offers blame.
We are told that if the doctor believes there is a reason to offer a COVID-19 test, then no one will be charged. Ahhh--but what if the doctor refuses? Then what. It can be very simple. Leadership can pass Medicare for all---even temporarily. Alternatively, Cuomo can sign the NYS Health Care Act, which was passed by both state houses last year and which Cuomo refused to sign last year.
Universities and colleges are now "distance learning." Ahh--but what does that mean? Campuses are open. Libraries and labs and so forth are open. Do they think that students won't go to malls, stores, movies? Theaters are just as full as they were last month.
People seek community. Young adults go to college seeking commonalities and communities. They are not asked for their preferences, they are just abruptly summoned and evicted, with no chance to even say goodbye. People like to say goodbye. People like to feel they have agency in the matter. If they wanted to do distance learning, they would have signed up for that in the first place. CUNY/SUNY offers this as a booby prize, with professors with little to no experience in conducting on-line learning classes. Anything to avoid giving the money back, either to the students or to the federales.
Why did classes have to end abruptly? What difference could another week make, giving students a chance to say goodbye, exchange addresses, and understand the asynchronous nature of on-line learning? Not to be given the opportunity to say goodbye and feel a sense of control--what could of tyrant does that? Madness is an infection, an opportunistic virus.
Live your lives. Wash your hands. Wipe down computers and phones. That's always good advice. Make sure to carry tissues if you need to blow your nose. Recognize any signs of illness. Monitor yourself and your loved ones. But do not be afraid. You cannot flee from a virus--germs go everywhere.
Most people recover. In countries where people unless they are serious, mortality rates seem inflated. In countries where anyone is offered testing, mortality rates are low, because mild cases recover.
The chickens have come home to roost in our "skin in the game" health system. Make vehement to your legislatures the need for a sane health care policy. If you don't feel well, don't go to work or to school. Rest if you need to rest. Remember Churchill: In the end, the Americans will do the right thing.