Mesdames, messieurs, les jeux sont faites, les jeux sont faites

(a line from Casablanca, when the dealer declares an end to the placing of bets before spinning the roulette wheel)

ttps://www.thegazette.com/subject/opinion/staff-columnist/all-iowans-are-gamblers-in-kims-covid-casino-20200514?fbclid=IwAR0-Wyx46sUoxywMOa3v_wBznfvKwrtbZGv_GOAcwjRap0Y4qF3JQygaiK8

All of us, whether we like it or not, are gamblers in Kim Reynold's covid casino. Maybe like me, you feel you have a lot to lose, so you bet conservatively, or not at all. Maybe you feel more confident ... maybe all of us could have used better leadership, and now, better information ....

Sure, without more testing and tracing, we’re flying in fog, perhaps on a casino owner’s borrowed jet. But, oh, what a rush. How will it all turn out? The suspense is killing us.

Standing the economy back up is necessary. But there will be no real, sustained recovery if Iowans are unconvinced we’ve handled the pandemic. Picking the economy over public health is a false bet. Solving the public health problem is key to economic recovery and restoring confidence.

There’s certainly an economic risk to sticking with protective measures longer and resisting more reopening for a couple more weeks. But consider the consequences of pulling that big reopening slot machine arm too soon. A second spike and a return to restrictions would be even more devastating. Instead of bouncing back, Iowa’s health and economic problems would intensify, while more Iowans fall ill or become lagging indicators.

Betting the lives of our most vulnerable on the “personal responsibility” of others before we know more about the pandemic’s grip here is a reckless wager, leaving thousands of Iowans and their loved ones in fearful limbo. They can’t simply adjust and move on.