| American life is largely on hold. Everything from sporting events to graduations has been either canceled or postponed.
Holidays are different.
This weekend of Passover and Easter presents the first major test of Americans’ resolve to stay home. It means skipping longstanding traditions and missing opportunities to catch up with relatives young and old.
Some people are finding creative alternatives. Families are hosting Seders over Zoom. Churches are streaming Easter services on YouTube. It’s not clear how long these solutions will last. Just about a month into the federal campaign to stay home, people are antsy. And with the weather improving, that feeling will only grow.
Officials seem to sense it. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo tempered his optimism that cases in his state are plateauing with warnings that the phenomenon will not last if people give up and go back to normal now.
Social distancing indeed seems to be paying off. Anthony Fauci, one of President Donald Trump’s top medical advisers, cut projections for U.S. coronavirus deaths roughly in half Thursday, saying about 60,000 people may die. If that proves accurate, it could accelerate plans to get the economy going again.
That may not happen, however, if the hard-won gains of isolation are canceled out by a premature rush to come back together. Staying inside has been working. Even with the siren song of spring outside, staying inside a little longer will be needed.—Angelica LaVito |