If you tell us to shelter-in-place, Tarrant leaders, shoot straight on what we’re in for

With each passing day, it seems inevitable that our entire area will end up with shelter-in-place orders similar to the one Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins announced Sunday night.

But right now, there’s too much confusion around where people can go and which businesses can remain open. There are two main causes: poor communication and the patchwork of decisions around our entire region.

Tarrant County leaders appear prepared to address the issue Tuesday with a new order. Leaders must communicate more clearly about what the restrictions in place mean. County Judge Glen Whitley has had a difficult job balancing the input of businesses, medical experts and the myriad city officials in Tarrant County. But when he declared Sunday night that the answer for businesses to apply the latest county strictures is to “use some common sense,” that simply wasn’t good enough.

Better regional coordination is a must. The patchwork of restrictions is too confusing, and it works against the imperative of curbing the spread of the coronavirus. The diversity of governance that’s long been a strength for our region over years of economic growth is making our new imperative harder.

Officials in Dallas, Tarrant, Collin and Denton counties at least need to be in regular contact and implementing similar policies. Cities need to get on board, too; this is not a time for small suburbs to make headlines by standing apart from the joint effort we must have.

Finally, it’s time for some frank messaging from our public officials about how long this is going to take. The two-week timelines that constantly seem to move are not helping to curb anxiety and fear about what life will look like after the epidemic.

No public official has a crystal ball. We don’t expect anyone, particularly local leaders, to be able to stand up and announce the date that Texans can go back to work and life can resume as normal.

Jenkins hinted at the challenge ahead Sunday, when he explained that his new order lasts until April 3. There’s nothing magic about that date; it’s the extent of the emergency authority granted to him by county commissioners. He suggested both would be extended.

But how long? Days? Weeks? Months? The rhythms of life are completely disrupted, and the drip, drip, drip of extending the window days or weeks isn’t helpful. If the projections of illness are as dire as they’ve been projected, shoot straight about how long it will take to avoid that fate.

Texans in the Dallas-Fort Worth area are resilient and largely committed to the cause; give us the best guess and we’ll adjust accordingly.

For this effort to work, it must be as separate from the usual political squabbles as possible. Too many in Fort Worth and Tarrant County seem fixated on the old idea that whatever Dallas does, Fort Worth should do something else. Tarrant County Republican Party Chairman Rick Barnes said as much at county commissioners’ meeting Sunday night.

Here’s an idea: Do what makes the most sense to save lives. If that means following Dallas, so be it.

On Tuesday morning, the County Commissioners will meet again. Two, Roy Brooks and Devan Allen, are on record as favoring shelter-in-place restrictions. It’s time for more residents to get involved and tell their leaders how they want this crisis managed.

These are not easy decisions. Each part of the process comes with significant downsides. Steps to stop the virus may have long-term consequences — not just economic, but in terms of other health concerns, including mental health — that are hard to measure.

Clearer information, honesty about the tradeoffs, better coordination and an honest sense of where we’re headed is not too much to ask for.