Hayden Flickinger, 10th grade, Marshall County High School
The Coronavirus has disrupted all of our lives. Right now, most of us are struggling with the same issues: stress, fear, and loss. There has not been a global pandemic in the lifetime of ninety percent of Americans. While we all understand that this is hard, the only way for us all to get through this is by staying together, apart. As of now, about fifty percent of Americans are obeying quarantine guidelines. The government should put in place mandatory restrictions because of the effectiveness shown in other countries and the effect it would have on the amount of people staying home.
The Coronavirus started in Wuhan, China roughly December 19, and it has since spread to 175 countries out of a total 195. One of the countries affected is South Korea, which, according to The New York Times, reported its first confirmed case the same day as the US. Since then, there has been a startling difference in both the response to the pandemic and the current outcome each country has. Because South Korea had a quicker, more intense response than the US, both its confirmed case count and death count is lower. Because of the similarities between the two original cases for both countries, we have an easy side-by-side comparison that shows how much a hard response can help in both prevention and treatment. If the US were to adopt the same reaction that South Korea started with, there is a good chance that the spread of the would slow, and the treatments after catching it would be more effective.
These regulations have sparked some controversy, though. Some argue that a reaction from the government would be a violation of our rights; because we live in America, we have the freedom to live as we want. While this may sound correct to those uneducated in the legal workings of the US, it is not. Brittanica is only one source that details Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., Acting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in 1930 and Associate Justice from 1902-1932. He is credited with many legal terms prudent in the US: due process of the law, clear and present danger, and, most relevant here, limitations on personal liberties. He is credited with the quote, “Your right to swing your fist ends where my nose begins.” Applied to this situation, our right to live our lives normally, ends where one’s health begins. In other words, once one person begins to impact another person’s health, directly or indirectly, he or she is trespassing on the rights of others. Therefore, the argument that Americans have the right to live how they choose is invalid during this time of duress, where their breaking of quarantine tramples on others’ rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
Opponents of restrictions may try to convince us that their argument is more rational; they are arguing based on logic, not emotion. According to them, logic says that we need to open the country before the economy plummets, and while this may make sense at first glance, it is actually a very flawed argument. In Marshall County, the industries which employ the most people are also the industries that are composed of older generations. According to thinkkentucky.com, the manufacturing industry employs 19.8% of the Marshall County population. Nationally, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 45-64 year-olds make up 43% of the manufacturing industry. This age group also, as of April 17, has a hospitalization rate of 20.85-29.2% and a casualty rate of 1-1.7%. As important as reopening the economy is, it is irresponsible to not look past the short-term. If we lift restrictions before being cleared of the threat of another outbreak, the chances of it catching hold in 45-64 year-olds are high. Due to the high rate of hospitalization, we can assume that these people will not be in fit shape to come in for work. In the trade, transportation, and utilities industry, which employs 15.6% of people in Marshall County, 45-64 year-olds total thirty-six percent. Within the construction industry, which employs 11.9%, 45-64 year-olds total thirty-eight percent. Because this age range is nearly half of the workforce in the biggest industries of Marshall County, this leads to less production, less profit, and lower pay, overall keeping the economy in bad shape anyway. This trend, although with different industries, continues to be seen across the US, in both large cities and rural towns. On a large scale, seeing half of the US workforce disappear for a long period due to hospitalization could prove just as devastating to the economy.
This is an uncertain time which none of us would have ever anticipated. We are all torn, trying to do what we feel is best. Right now, the most important action is to remember that no one is sure of what to do. But, listening to virologists and professional organizations like the CDC, the best course of action in the long run is to keep everything shut down for the time being. At this point, we can already see that this method has worked in South Korea, and there is no problem constitutionally with passing official restrictions on individual movement. In terms of reopening the economy, while it is a priority, it does not make sense to do so early. By allowing ourselves to be vulnerable to another outbreak, we are risking nearly half of our workforce. It is important that we not let ourselves be controlled by thoughts of the worst. When we make decisions out of fear or panic, it is often not the same course of action we would have done if given the same choice in a time of clarity.