I’m going to start this post with a prediction: we are not yet at the half-way point of the novel coronavirus pandemic. We started more than three months ago, and while in most of Canada, the numbers of new infections look encouraging, we are also starting to see hints of the dreaded second wave. 

The U.S. appears to be entering the second wave without getting out of the first wave. 

So I don’t see this as being over anytime soon. 

According to the doctors, scientists and other qualified, professional experts in the field, the pandemic will not end until there’s a vaccine widely available. And again, the best minds in the field say that probably will not happen until early next year—and that’s optimistic.

The word conflict

Which brings us to the divide between scientific and medical leaders on one hand, and political and economic leaders on the other. 

Scientists are united in their advice and prognoses: this is a serious, deadly situation that will not end anytime soon, and so far, our only defences are hygiene and staying apart from one another. Or to invoke the words we’ve all heard ad nauseum: hand washing and physical distancing. 

Then there are the messages from politicians, business owners and investors: the importance of the economy, of reopening businesses, of getting people back to work. The people on the right fret about the cost of closing borders and stores,  about the risks to businesses, about how difficult it’s going to be to pay back all the money we’re borrowing.

Then, of course, there are the dupes and charlatans who continue to claim that Covid-19 is a hoax (in the face of a half million deaths), that masks don’t work (contradicting every scientist in the world), or that physical distancing infringes on their freedom (it’s not a big deal. It’s also temporary—like joining the armed forces during a world war). The major proponent of this stance is the President of the U.S., but thankfully, the great weight of world opinion is turning against this nonsense.

But that does not mean the arguments against rational responses to the pandemic have been harmless. Far from it. 

People ranting against reasonable precautions like wearing masks and maintaining distance from others have put vulnerable people at risk. Every idiot who exposes themselves to it at a party, bar or crowded beach can easily bring it back to infect their grandparents, children, friends or anyone with the misfortune to be around them. 

Misleading leaders

Then there are the political leaders who have striven against sensible precautions, like mandating masks, distancing and closing of public spaces. They’ve argued alternately that these measures will not work (despite overwhelming proof that they do, in places like New Zealand and the Czech Republic), that the economy is more important than health, and that the pandemic will fade away on its own, without the need for intervention or extraordinary measures—again, contrary to all evidence. 

What do we do?

As usual, it’s up to us to think our way forward. 

We have the tools and we have the intelligence to recognize mendacity. To ask who’s making what statement. To look at evidence—and when it comes to a worldwide pandemic, evidence is not hard to find. 

It’s time to be judgemental. It’s time to exercise discrimination. Not against a visible group, but against obvious lies. Against patent nonsense. 

It’s time to be discerning and ask “Whom do I believe? Professionals with degrees and accreditation from established institutions, with decades of public service? Or self-proclaimed experts operating on the fringes of reality, ranting easily disproven ideas and presenting ‘evidence’ that is an obvious lie, or that falls apart at the first check?”

Don’t believe me 

Look at the ideas that are presented, then look for supporting evidence. Look also for corroboration of those facts. 

And look for support for ideas, for arguments. Look for proof, or at least other verifiable facts that back up the argument.

It’s only by acting rationally that we’ll get through this crisis.

Because if we act irrationally, not only will more of us die, more of us suffer permanent health damage, the economy that so many feel is so precious will suffer more, needlessly, as well.