Post-Pandemic Society: An Interview With Georgia's Governor on Reopening His State

I interviewed Governor Brian Kemp of Georgia a short time ago about opening back up Georgia. I normally only make these interviews available to subscribers. Tomorrow, subscribers will exclusively get my interview with Walt Ehmer, the CEO of Waffle House on how the virus has affected that company’s business. So:

But I want to make this available to everyone because we talked about one particular thing that is not getting enough attention and needs to be part of the conversation. The virus is not going away.

In this global society, we cannot and have no appetite to do what a Harvard professor suggested — stay sheltered until there is a vaccine or shelter cyclically as the virus spreads. People’s patience is running out.

We have not and will mot eradicate this virus. We will have to figure out a way to adjust society to accept that the virus is out there, our behaviors increase and decrease our chances of getting it, and businesses are a corridor through which it can spread.

On top of that, people are stupid and stupid people are going to lower their guard, get the virus, and spread it to others.

All of that is just reality. We sheltered in place as we needed to in order to stop hospitals from being overwhelmed. Those hospitals now think they can contain and meet any surge that follows.

So in a reality with a virus that is not going away, how does society operate? Georgia is trying to figure it out. Georgia’s Governor is getting heat from partisans and the press for trying to find a way forward. He is listening to experts and is rolling out plans and guidelines to let businesses get back to work as best they can.

Many of his critics have interpreted this as back to normal, but it isn’t really. It is a new normal, at least for now, that tries to accommodate the concerns about the virus spreading and the concerns about businesses going out of business.

He may be wrong. The experts he listens to may be wrong. But we should wish Georgia well and hope they are able to chart a course to accommodate a virus that is not going away with a people increasingly desperate to get back to work.