S-N Editorial: Partial re-opening, many questions

The what-ifs of the COVID-19 pandemic hardly seem answered almost two months after everything shut down. Iowa re-opened some shuttered businesses and other gathering places this week, but after all we’ve been warned about this virus, you have to wonder why. How can we begin the process of re-opening the state before we’ve even reached the projected peak of infections? It seems head scratching and dangerous.

Despite a surge in both coronavirus deaths and infections, Gov. Kim Reynolds last week signed an order allowing malls, restaurants, fitness centers, libraries and retail stores to reopen in 77 of Iowa’s 99 counties beginning Friday. The order requires they operate at only 50 percent capacity and implement social distancing rules like limiting tables at restaurants to six people and banning buffets and child play areas. Churches were allowed to open as well, but theaters, casinos, barbershops, salons, museums, playgrounds and swimming pools must stay closed statewide through May 15.

Frankly, it seems like state leaders are making it up as they go. Iowa’s infection rate in recent weeks has been one of the highest in the country and re-opening things now only creates a false sense of security. We’re not on the other side of the mountain because we haven’t event reached the summit.

Everyone is going stir crazy right now and wants normalcy. That’s completely understandable, because this pandemic has significantly disrupted the livelihoods of millions of Americans. Unemployment rates have skyrocketed and the economy is in shambles. It flat-out stinks, but the alternative is bleak – just look at New York City and other hard-hit areas. We were told to stay home, weather the storm and slow the rate of infection. What was the point of it all if we’re throwing caution to the wind and reopening before infections even peak?

Reynolds’ handling of this pandemic has been spotty at best. She’s been criticized for being too slow and reactionary to the coronavirus threat, which has led to increased infections statewide. This “soft open” of Iowa’s economy is another convoluted chapter in the convoluted story of COVID-19. If state leadership thinks the economic benefits outweigh the threat to public health, then by that logic there was truly no point in shutting everything down in the first place.

Time will tell if Reynolds’ decision leads to an explosion of cases in parts of Iowa like ours that have seen low infection rates. In the mean time, it’s advisable to keep practicing social distancing and every other safety measure suggested by health experts. While a majority of people that get sick will experience mild symptoms, it’s the elderly and immune-compromised folks we have to look out for. Keep doing your part to slow the spread and flatten the curve.