A friend’s daughter is a grad student at UF. She sat in on a virtual meeting where this was discussed my high level admins.
It’s insane. And it’s not just college football or even sports. It’s every scrap of live entertainment and leisure. No more airlines. No more theme parks. No more national parks or beaches or public parks or pools. No more tourism at all. No more production crews generating new movies, series, documentaries, etc. No more large family gatherings and class reunions. No more weddings or funerals. No more colleges and universities. Humanity has been gathering as far back as we have historical and archaeological records, and farther still if you look at stories and artifacts that precede those. Virtual contact can replace it some, but not for long in many ways.
It’s the difference between existing and living.
Surely we’ll have effective treatments identified soon. Maybe even a vaccine. If not, there will be a massive, world wide “Screw this” revolt. And maybe that’s herd immunity screaming for its necessary role in human health.
I’m not whining for diversions for myself. I keep thinking about the millions of people who are losing their livelihoods. Worse, we’ve made incredible progress the last 20 years in abating poverty. All of that developmental work, funded by the largess and investment of capitalism through innovative governmental, corporate investment, NGO, charitable and church-led mission is being crushed. And if we get thrown back, say, 25 years the death toll will far far exceed the virus projections.
I’m as impressed with Dr. Birx as I have been anyone in public life in a long time. But soon public health’s dependence on economics must take precedence.
BTW - “economy” comes from the Greek word “oikonomeia” which means the management of a household, “oikos” being “house”. Even if it means risking disease or accident, you have to feed everyone. And we don’t live on bread alone.