Think of the children... or the economy

The mayor and the superintendent are probably going to announce today that the schools aren't ready to open. At least they will tell us that's what the numbers say.  

The city has set benchmarks of fewer than 50 new cases per day and a sustained decline in new cases for 14 consecutive days before moving to new reopening phases, and Avegno said the district should also consider these for reopening schools.

She also said she wants positivity rates to remain below 5% of people tested.

An analysis of the city's health data shows that in recent days New Orleans has come nowhere near meeting most of those goals.

Case numbers have been rising since late June, shortly after Phase 2 was implemented. The last time Orleans Parish showed fewer than 50 new cases in a day was July 6.

There were nearly twice as many cases in the 14 days that ended Friday -- 1,129 -- than there were in the 14 days prior, when the city saw 583 cases. The percent of residents who test positive hovered between 5 and 7 this past week.

"No other country has reopened schools with the level of community transmission that today is happening in America," Avegno told school leaders on Wednesday.

What they end up actually doing is another matter. Probably they will say they're looking for the safest plan but still holding out hope the schools can open.  This isn't because they are indecisive so much as they are, like everyone else right now, waiting for better options.  Because, once again, thanks to the complete lack of support from the federal government the virus is out of control all over the country and cities and states are left to twist in the wind. And with little sign that any of that is going to change, our local decision-makers are at the mercy of political pressures born of public anxiety they should not have to confront right now. This is what they mean when they say the situation is "fluid."  It means we've all been left to drown.

But, hey, sometimes you just gotta take it.  You know, for The Economy.

School Board member Sarah Usdin said the health department will have to balance the economy and safety.

"I just feel like there’s no right answer," Usdin said. "This is such an incredibly hard, hard time for everyone. It's unprecedented and we want what’s best for everyone. And there’s no way to have what’s best for everyone."

"There's no way to have what's best for everyone."  Would love to hear Usdin elaborate on this.  Some people want safety but other people want to make money, is what it sounds like she is saying. Such a difficult choice! Can't imagine there being a "right answer" to that.

Update:  Really needed to append this Elizabeth Warren op-ed here because it provides a direct "right answer" to Usdin.

Those who frame the debate as one of health versus economics are missing the point. It is not possible to fix the economy without first containing the virus. We need a bold, ambitious legislative response that does four things: brings the virus under control; gets our schools, child care centers, businesses, and state and local governments the resources they need; addresses the burdens on communities of color; and supports struggling families who don’t know when the next paycheck will come.

Warren goes on to list a number of things that need to happen in the next federal relief bill, including direct aid to local school districts, so that we don't have to listen to false frames like the one Usdin presents us with.  Not counting on any of that coming to pass, of course. But it's important to make sure people know they're being denied solutions rather than simply tell them none exist.