Coronavirus protests show need for plan to reopen society

News coverage has centered on the coronavirus protests that have broken out in states enacting harsh lockdowns such as Michigan, North Carolina, and others over the past week. Commentators have compared these with the “Tea Party” rallies of more than a decade ago.

I was proud to see the people getting up to make their voice heard and shift the national conversation in 2009, and I’m proud now. This isn’t about just reopening the economy, this is about reopening our communities.

Legislators and policymakers should listen to the people and heed the message of these protests. Families and workers are doing their part to flatten the curve. In doing so, they are watching their mortgages, dreams of retirement, and financial safety all slip away. After the initial shock of the coronavirus pandemic, the time has now come to develop a thoughtful and reasonable strategy to reopen the country and get our economy back on track.

The protesters realize that we now have two types of patients: those afflicted by the coronavirus and those who have seen their economic livelihoods destroyed by the shutdown. Both matter. The longer we wait to get back to work, the greater the long-term economic damage we risk. How will we power our healthcare response during a depression and 30% unemployment? We need a plan to avoid this fate.