Lincoln – Nebraskans, confronting an alarming increase in Covid-19 infections, are facing a test of character. Will we fight the pandemic or, like some other states in our region, give up and let the disease run its course, at whatever horrible cost?
There are discouraging reports from Iowa, the Dakotas, and other states where governors say there is nothing they can do. Nebraska Governor Ricketts has also been in that camp from the outset; his North Star guide has been to hospitalize those who becomes sick, not to use his powers to limit the number of cases. Instead, he urges "individual responsibility."
Now the hospitals are about to be overwhelmed. The governor responds by saying that Nebraska has low unemployment. But Nebraska always has low unemployment.
There is a glimmer of hope in Nebraska, as the governor's appointed state health director has finally acknowledged the obvious, as reported by the Lincoln JournalStar:
Dr. Gary Anthone, the state's chief medical officer, said "it is obvious that we are headed in the wrong direction" as COVID-19 cases continue to grow and spread across the state while hospital beds begin to fill.
"We cannot surge our way out of this pandemic by increasing hospital beds or staffing," he said. "We need to stop the number of cases rising daily. We need to decrease the number of people who are hospitalized."
Perhaps this statement is a harbinger of a change in state policy. Governor Ricketts needs to get in step with local elected officials who want to fight the pandemic; he should not continue to oppose their efforts.* Fighting the pandemic with "individual responsibility" makes no more sense than relying on people's good judgment about how fast to drive, or whether to buy auto insurance, or whether to poison groundwater resources with atrazine. Collective action is sometimes necessary to protect the health and well-being of the greater population. This is one of those times.
Dr. Gary Anthone, the state's chief medical officer, said "it is obvious that we are headed in the wrong direction" as COVID-19 cases continue to grow and spread across the state while hospital beds begin to fill.
"We cannot surge our way out of this pandemic by increasing hospital beds or staffing," he said. "We need to stop the number of cases rising daily. We need to decrease the number of people who are hospitalized."
Perhaps this statement is a harbinger of a change in state policy. Governor Ricketts needs to get in step with local elected officials who want to fight the pandemic; he should not continue to oppose their efforts.* Fighting the pandemic with "individual responsibility" makes no more sense than relying on people's good judgment about how fast to drive, or whether to buy auto insurance, or whether to poison groundwater resources with atrazine. Collective action is sometimes necessary to protect the health and well-being of the greater population. This is one of those times.
This is a test of character. Facing down the disease will require facing down those who would give up.
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* The governor and attorney general have opposed local mask mandates, despite their efficacy and despite the support of many businesses that also welcome them because they provide greater protection for those who want to patronize the businesses, not to mention controlling infections more generally.
