Because the coronavirus is a once-in-a-lifetime type of pandemic, there is very little margin for error. Some mistakes that could occur due to governors’ and the President’s decisions can end up killing thousands of people, so addressing it correctly is essential.

The difference between needing to open the country back up and wanting to open the country back up is surprisingly massive. Unfortunately, the U.S. is now at the stage of “needing” to open the country back up because of the economy. According to NPR, 26 million jobs had been lost as of April 23 due to the virus. That number is going to spike upward, near fifty million and beyond. So, America is indeed at the point of needing to reopen the country because the economy is running on fumes, but some governors and people with power want to reopen it for their own benefit.

President Donald Trump has sent mixed messages and been erratic about the virus. At times, he cares more about the economy than the well-being health of people. “More people are going to die if we allow this to continue,” President Trump said on March 26. In this statement, he was referring to the economy, not the health of humans. However, other times he relaxes a bit and wants to wait until the right time to open the country back up again. For example, he also stated, “Would I do that? No […] But I’m going to let him make his decision, but I told him, I totally disagree.” This is in reference to Georgia governor Brian Kemp’s statement regarding reopening businesses amid the virus. Trump is practically saying to slow down and wait until the right time to reopen business. 

Obviously, he wants to get states back to normal as soon as possible, because of his one promise, which was to make the economy flourish. “Our economy is the envy of the world. Perhaps the greatest we’ve had in the history of our country,” he said. That is out the window now, but he is still determined to bring it up, which he needs to do to help solidify his chance of winning the next presidential election. 

In addition, Florida governor Ron DeSantis seems like he “wants,” not needs, to reopen the state. According to the New York Times, Florida has had 32,846 positive cases of COVID-19 tallied on April 29. Florida is one of the biggest states in size, and a beach in Jacksonville was jam-packed during a sunny afternoon on April 18. Clearly, people aren’t keeping their distance. On May 4, restaurants and stores in Florida are going to start allowing their businesses to fill up to 25 percent capacity. The question is, will this be an instance where a  second and third outbreak happens? Will it happen in Florida, and what would that would mean exactly? The catch is patience. 

Although experts won’t exactly know what’s going to happen if this occurs, they can make educated guesses and assumptions based on graphs and other tools that measure this pandemic. “It is highly likely that we will have—I don’t know whether you want to call it a second wave—but we will have a return of infections as we get into the next season.” Dr. Anthony Fauci stated. The expectations from Fauci are that the virus will strike again, but he is unknowing of how badly it will hit. Another expert gave his outlook as well. “I think having timelines is going to be very challenging. No country is going to want to open up too early, and then be the first major country to have a big second wave.” Ben Cowling, a professor at the School of Public Health at the University of Hong Kong, said. If these second and third waves were to happen, there would be an overwhelmed health care system. This would result in more deaths, which is unmistakably the number one problem, currently. There wouldn’t be enough ventilators, beds, and space to treat everyone with cautious space and practical care. Is it safe to say Trump is enjoying this time?