BTRTN: In Which State Are You Most Likely to Contract the Coronavirus?
Born To Run The Numbers on the spiraling numbers of coronavirus cases in the South and the West, and why these trends may be the most worrisome of all:
http://www.borntorunthenumbers.com/2020/06/btrtn-in-which-state-are-you-most.html
Excerpts: "The South will rise again. And again. And again the week after. With COVID-19 cases, that is. And the Wild West? It is raging.... What’s the state in which you are most likely to be infected with the coronavirus? That’s easy. It is the state of Denial...
"The New York area – following the powerful leadership of Cuomo – took the pandemic with utmost seriousness. They listened to Governors who were, in turn, listening to scientists. There was a broadly embraced culture of commitment to take the hard actions and the sacrifices necessary to stop the virus. That culture of commitment saved lives. It flattened the curve. But there appears to be a decided cultural difference in what is happening in today in many states in the South and the West. Call it denial. Right now, many Republican governors are rolling with the direction of a President who wants people to believe and act as if the coronavirus was just one more annoying little risk that humans beings must deal with as they once again go about their daily business...
"The problem is that you just can't flip a switch with people, particularly with people who have been told for months that the coronavirus isn't all that big a deal, and they shouldn't be worried about it. People who have been getting that cultural message from their leaders, colleagues, and personal ecosystem for four months and simply not going to switch overnight to the 90% compliance that we witnessed in New York. That cultural re-education will take time, and it will take and absolute and emphatic reversal from their government leaders -- starting with Trump-- in order for it to happen. We have yet to see any of Ducey, Abbott, or DeSantis take the kind of bold, uncompromising stand that Cuomo took when he state was on fire..."
