Evidence clear: True political leaders should lift lockdown

In this article published by The Hill, Dr. Scott Atlas says that we know enough about the new coronavirus to make the right decisions. He explains that by looking at the evidence, government leaders will be able to create effective public policy which will help alleviate the anxiety created by the reopening of society. 

Dr. Atlas says that the role of medical experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci is to focus on the health outcomes. Government leaders can look up to medical experts to guide their decisions, but it is ultimately the role of the government to make the final decision for their constituents. It is the government’s task to ensure that there are necessary safeguards to protect those who are most at risk from the virus, while at the same time ensuring that the society continues to function as normal. 

Dr. Atlas also reiterates that it is the fear and panic due to lockdowns and the restriction of medical care, not the virus, which has brought societies into crisis. If don’t make changes in the way we deal with COVID-19, Dr. Atlas says, we are heading towards national suicide.

Editor’s Note: This article may have been written for the US, but it is applicable to all countries which are still on a lockdown.

We expect our government leaders to be “better” than the common citizen, to have the diligence to seek for information and clarity. We expect that the decisions they make in behalf of their constituents are  carefully deliberated on, based on the information they have collected. 

But we know now that many of our leaders are as clueless as many of their citizens. If they are not, how can they request the IATF to return community quarantines in areas where it was supposed to have been lifted already?

As Dr. Atlas has enumerated in his article, we know enough about the new coronavirus in order for us to make the right decisions. We know how COVID-19 affects the body and we understand how it causes death. Data from various countries show us that the affected population are the same across the board, and it is not as deadly or contagious as we thought it was. Researches have shown us that we are not powerless against this virus. Our leaders simply have look at the evidence, and the choice is clear: it is time to end lockdowns. Prolonging it only increases the social, psychological, and economic costs. It has brought our societies to a breaking point. 

There is a safe way to reopen our societies. If our leaders truly understand what it means to lead, then they will know how to create policies that protect the gains we have received from this pandemic – cooperation, citizen empowerment, transparency – and minimize (if not eliminate) the risks associated with the virus. 

All the information listed by Dr. Atlas in his article has been featured in various articles on this website.