Should we reopen the economy to maintain GDP growth and a low unemployment rate? Probably not.

As cases of the coronavirus ebb and flow across the globe, there has been much talk in the U.S. about reopening the economy within the next few weeks.

In a recent press interview, President Donald Trump said he would like to see the economy reopened by May, even saying that he desired to see churches full of people over Easter weekend, yet to no avail.

In light of recent debate among citizens, scientists and public officials, there is a ludicrous belief that individuals should attempt to fight the coronavirus by attending large public gatherings or touching public objects with no protection in an effort to gain immunity.

Here’s the truth: You absolutely cannot expose yourself to COVID-19 as a means of gaining immunity. Doing so would be awfully perilous to your well-being compared to a virus such as chickenpox. This is due to the coronavirus’ harmful nature. COVID-19 can greatly damage your lung tissue, leading to lifelong respiratory issues and even death. 

“The death rate for COVID-19 is ten times higher than the flu,” according to Johns Hopkins University. This statement serves as a stark contrast to governmental critics who claim that this is truly no more damaging than a typical bout with influenza (the flu). 

According to Nobel-prize winning economist Paul Krugman, if our goal is to prevent future outbreaks and resurgences of the virus, then we need to maintain a prolonged effort of social distancing. This means that many businesses may be required to remain closed for the sake of employee and public health. 

Here in the U.S., there is fear of meat factory shutdowns as cases of the coronavirus grow within the walls that process much of America’s food. In South Dakota, “a Smithfield Foods pork processing plant closed down after nearly 240 workers tested positive — representing over half the active COVID-19 cases in the state.”

There is absolutely no way the economy will possess the capacity to reopen within the next few weeks. Doing so will not only be a production issue, but an ethical issue.

America’s businesses have a duty to offer the public goods and services. However, having possible COVID-19 carriers handle the products which businesses serve is immoral and should not be justified by claiming the economy is going to be in shambles if we do not fully reopen it.

As of now, the unemployment rate is incredibly high at a whopping 13 percent. However, this number is nowhere near Great Depression rates which were around 25 percent with a much smaller population and labor force. 

We can recover from this; it may just take longer than we initially hoped. 

This extreme shutdown is necessary because our nation failed to act immediately. Now, epidemiologists are saying that we may have flattened the curve, but we still need to get way lower on it until we can resume normal activity. The projected time to create a vaccine that can be properly developed, tested and distributed is twelve to eighteen months, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. 

Some citizens may blame this all on President Donald Trump, or a particular legislator at the state level, but this is largely the fault of Americans who insisted on going outside to parks and beaches despite quarantine measures being previously rolled out. 

Now, when cities are fining residents for gathering in groups of more than ten or for leaving their homes to perform unnecessary activities, these citizens wonder how unjust the government can be.

People in my own personal life have compared the actions of the government to those of communism. Even if these critics were carrying around “Animal Farm” and had pictures of George Orwell plastered on their walls, I would not affirm their assumption that the government’s actions are in any way unnecessary or immoral in any viable sense of those words. 

I believe the deaths of Americans are at the hands of both our public officials and our next door neighbors. Very few people took these precautions seriously and thereby put countless others at risk.

Both sides of the political aisle, including Trump who made jokes about affairs with models in a press briefing regarding America’s death toll, and casual citizens who did not heed the warnings of their local governments, should bear equal responsibility for failing to act or take this pandemic seriously.

Until we have a lower infection rate and can ensure every citizen will act under proper social distancing measures, there is no reason to risk American lives for the economy’s sake.

 If we do, we won’t have any workers left.