Anxiety, anger as State Dept. moves ahead with reopening despite area infection rate

[gristy]

3. What am I missing that these Dem senators get? Or is it maybe the other way around.

Instead of

"Reopening too quickly by ending maximum telework threatens to erase the progress made against the virus and endanger the health and safety of federal employees and everyone else in an agency’s region through increased community spread," the four Democratic senators wrote on July 9.

Shouldn't the statement (and corresponding actions) be

"Reopening by ending maximum telework before clear adoption of replacement transmission suppression methods such as mask usage and social distancing guidelines threatens to erase the progress made against the virus and endanger the health and safety of federal employees and everyone else in an agency’s region through increased community spread," the four Democratic senators wrote on July 9.

This business about "reopening too quickly" is just nuts. The virus doesn't care if you reopen quickly or reopen after you reach just 1 new case per week. If you "reopen" without the large majority on board with mask usage and social distancing, R0 is going to be greater than 1, and the virus is going to be off and running (i.e. daily new case count will be increasing).