Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has put the brakes on counties moving to the final stage of the state’s Safe Start program in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
In Oregon, masks are now required in public. In Arizona, Florida and Texas, restrictions have been reimplemented, including the closing of bars and restaurants. In numerous states, record high numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases have been reported in recent days.
The United States, which has by far the most cases and deaths attributed to coronavirus, is losing ground in its efforts to combat the virus. It is a far cry from President Trump’s proclamation that, “We have it totally under control.” And, “We pretty much shut it down.” And, “It miraculously goes away.”
Trump did not cause coronavirus. But his delayed response, his persistent desire to dispute scientists and his insistence on not wearing a mask have consistently delivered messages that undermine the best-laid plans for stifling the disease.
Yet while the president has earned criticism for his administration’s efforts, he is merely a symptom of a larger illness that infects Americans.
“One of the problems we face in the United States is that unfortunately, there is a combination of an anti-science bias that people are — for reasons that sometimes are, you know, inconceivable and not understandable — they just don’t believe science and they don’t believe authority,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said.
Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has emerged as a respected voice of reason throughout the pandemic. He has decades of experience in leading federal preparation and reaction to illnesses, and his frequent appearances in press conferences and media interviews have been a calming presence amid the chaos.
“When they see someone up in the White House, which has an air of authority to it, who’s talking about science, that there are some people who just don’t believe that — and that’s unfortunate because, you know, science is truth,” Fauci said. “It’s amazing sometimes the denial there is. It’s the same thing that gets people who are anti-vaxxers, who don’t want people to get vaccinated, even though the data clearly indicate the safety of vaccines. That’s really a problem.”
Indeed. And it is a problem that existed before the coronavirus landed on our shores and even before Trump took office.
In a 2015 cover story for National Geographic titled, “Why Do Many Reasonable People Doubt Science?,” Joel Achenbach wrote: “We live in an age when all manner of scientific knowledge faces organized and often furious opposition. Empowered by their own sources of information and their own interpretation of research, doubters have declared war on the consensus of experts.”
When the subject is, say, whether to add fluoride to drinking water, that is a problem. When the subject is global pandemic, it becomes a crisis.
Such anti-science stridency has led to many people violating stay-at-home orders, refusing to wear protective masks, and generally ignoring sound advice. It also has led to countless conspiracy theories about the origin of the virus or claims that the whole thing is a hoax and that protective measures are unnecessary.
So, we again offer reminders to wear a mask in public, frequently wash your hands, and observe social distancing. We also acknowledge with frustration that such advice is unlikely to change minds; those who most need it are most likely to ignore it.
And that will have more and more states sliding backward in the fight against coronavirus.
