4 reasons the ‘American Resurrection’ won’t work

In a town hall hosted by Fox News’ Bill Hemmer and Harris Faulkner, President Donald Trump said that “we have to go back to work much sooner than people thought,” adding that: “We can socially distance ourselves and go to work … have to work a little bit harder.” He set the goal of a return to normal — most people back at work, businesses mostly operational — as of April 12: Easter Sunday.

Hemmer immediately dubbed it an “American Resurrection.” Which Trump loved.

Here’s why it won’t work.

1) Virtually every medical professional has made clear they believe social distancing measures currently in place across the country need to be made more stringent, not less so, as we attempt to slow the spread of coronavirus. So if Trump is going to push for people to start their normal lives up again in a few weeks’ time, he’s likely to do so against the guidance of the medical community.

2) Trump isn’t the one who makes decisions about shuttering schools or sheltering in place. Those are calls made by governors of the states and, in some cases, local officials. Trump can say everyone needs to go back to work, but he can’t make people go back to work. Governors can choose to lift their current guidance if they so desire — but they are under absolutely no requirement to do so just because Trump says so.

3) Everything we know about the coronavirus suggests that it is very infectious. Meaning that, on average, one person gives it to two people. If suddenly on April 13 lots and lots of people head back to work — many of whom may be asymptomatic carriers of the virus — it’s a near certainty that the caseload will go higher, maybe much higher. That will overwhelm hospitals — many of which are already at the breaking point.

4) Fast-forward to, say, April 15. You decide to support a small business in your community and go out for a meal. Four days later, you come down with a fever and a dry cough. You are diagnosed with coronavirus. If that happens once — in the country — the vast majority of Americans who were thinking that maybe they would try to go out for dinner will immediately decide against doing that.

The Point: Trump can say we all need to go back to work. And that everything will be fine. But the only way we beat coronavirus is if we all band together and slow its spread. And we can’t do that by circling an arbitrary date on the calendar and deciding that, on that day, everything is going to be fine.