Our View: Yes, we are all itching to get out

A lot of noise has been made about the governor’s extension of his stay-at-home executive order. In a country that values its civil liberties and freedoms as much as we do in America, it’s tough to keep having faith in our leaders when we only see the devastation of our local lives and economy while we just don’t see the effects of the coronavirus itself.

So, it’s understandable to see some of us start to doubt the need to keep in quarantine while bills are going unpaid, work isn’t getting done, and the lack of social activities are getting us down. Travel is restricted, and we can’t even get a decent haircut.

We’re getting restless. And we want the economy to get back to normal as soon as possible.

So, just how long will that take? The answer is, for now, May 3.

We support the governor’s actions to keep the state shut dow, as hard as it is to accept the consequences. Minnesota has seen a more flattened curve compared to other regions even as close as Wisconsin. It’s hard to believe that the quick response and intense restrictions our government has put in place is not at least somewhat responsible for the low curve rate.

There’s a compelling argument that the economy needs to get started up again — that too many people are suffering economically when the pandemic doesn’t seem to be all that severe. But those arguments are short-sighted, and ignore the very serious problems that we would face if we don’t contain the pandemic as much as possible. If the disease affects more people, it could overwhelm our health care system. That could be deadly.

It’s not simply that COVID-19 is deadly for some. It’s also highly contagious, spreads quickly and easily, and can make its victims sick for weeks. Across the United States, we are seeing this play out in hotspots like New York, Louisianna and even South Dakota. Suddenly ignoring the facts of the COVID-19 spread would be a grave mistake. A houseful of sick family members is not an acceptable price just to get the economy back again.

So, while we’re still allowed to voice our opinion about the shelter-in-place restrictions and the side effects of the quarantine, we suggest we do our complaining from the safety of our own homes, and continue to follow the emergency orders until sound, informed public policy decisions suggest otherwise.

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