It’s Time to Start Mourning Our Loss of 2020, So That We May Survive It

For most Americans, this has been a week of awakening and recognition, and hopefully, social distancing. What initially was met with skepticism and exceptionalism by broad swaths of the country was brought into sharp relief with NBA player Rudy Gobert’s diagnosis (along with Tom Hanks) and the cascade of cancellations that quickly followed. But now, as the US confirms over 25,000 cases, that awakening is giving way to a deep-seated suspicion that will soon become confirmed: the effects of this pandemic are here to stay, and likely to stay for the duration.

Imperial College of London’s epidemiological team released a sobering report that modeled what many of us have been fearing: these measures may need to go on considerably longer than 15 days for us to have any chance against the virus. The federal government followed suit, estimating that the pandemic could last 18 months.

That’s it for 2020. This is our plague year. This is our lost year. At this point, the strategy is one of containment. Not of the virus: it’s too late for that. But…