[Steve_Seattle]

To me, the most important CV stat is deaths. It is difficult to tell whether new "cases" refers to those hospitalized, to those showing symptoms who test positive, or to anyone who tests positive regardless of symptoms or hospitalization.

But deaths are deaths, and yesterday - despite the highest daily total of new cases since this began - 32 states had fewer than 20 deaths, and of those, 25 had fewer than 10 deaths. These numbers have been pretty consistent for a week or two, despite a one-day spurt in some states every so often.

It seems to me that most counties in half of our states could go back to normal immediately, with only minor restrictions. Some of those states never did enforce a total lockdown in the first place. But the left demonizes anyone who wants to open up those states, as if they want pro-Trump states to suffer just because they are pro-Trump. (Although not all of the soft-hit states are necessarily pro-Trump, e.g., Oregon and Hawaii.)

[absalom01]

Exactly this. The only thing we have to guide us is actual data, and the closest thing we have to real data is the number of excess deaths in a locality.

New York is a dumpster fire — a substantial spike in excess deaths vs. expected. We don’t have to play the game of did this person die with or of the CCCP Virus — just the real numbers.

And in the wide open spaces of the American West, where we don’t huddle on subways and ride crowded elevators, there’s a lot less reason (as in virtually none) to apply the same strategies as New York.

But it’s soon going to be academic: people are simply going to stop obeying random, irrational and overly restrictive decrees.