Our COVID-19 approach isn’t working. Here’s what Texas, Tarrant leaders must change
Tarrant County public health director Vinny Taneja began his weekly coronavirus pandemic briefing to county commissioners Tuesday by announcing he was going to “do something different.”
Taneja was talking about a change in his usual presentation. If only he’d meant a change in our approach to the virus.
As cases soar, death tolls mount and hospitals fill, it should be clear that what we’re doing, both locally and nationwide, isn’t working.
We need new messages for leaders and better strategies for persuading people. “Wear a mask” isn’t working. “Cancel Thanksgiving” falls on too many deaf ears.
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It’s not necessarily the fault of city, county or state leaders. But they have to adjust their arguments to this fact: A significant segment of the population has decided that the risk to themselves is small and the tradeoffs of curtailing activities aren’t worth it, especially with “Covid fatigue” setting in.
We need prominent figures at every level, and not just in politics, to address this head on. Corporate, civic and religious leaders must find a new approach.
First, stop messages that are ineffective, if not actively counterproductive. The most serious of these is the push for an end to in-person school. Yes, some districts may have to adapt to large numbers of cases, particularly if they have staffing shortages. But there’s simply no evidence that schools are a significant source of coronavirus spread, while parents can see with their own eyes the damage done to their children by month after month of at-home instruction. Give families a choice — and respect their decisions.
Next, acknowledge the tradeoffs. People don’t trust messages that suggest no downside to canceling so much of life or even wearing masks. It stinks, all of it. There are mental-health effects, devastation to businesses and livelihoods, and long lines for food handouts. Trying to cheerfully dismiss them isn’t a good idea.
Talking about what works, what we can do rather than what we can’t, is helpful, too. Plenty of churches have found ways to have safe and meaningful, if small, services. County Judge Glen Whitley identified a few Tuesday, and more highlights of positive steps such as these would give people hope. Find examples of ways to help those most susceptible to the virus and spread the word. Give people ways to help.
We need more honesty, too, about what we know and what we don’t. Some people are asking how, with masks prevalent now, we have such a spike in coronavirus cases. It’s a reasonable question, but there’s no doubt things would be worse if not for masks.
We need public education campaigns about how to properly use masks, too; far too many people are wearing “chinstraps” or not covering their noses.
We’d benefit from more solid information about how the virus is spreading. We’re hearing a lot about small indoor gatherings, but also outdoor sporting events and other activities. Is there evidence for any of it? Is contact tracing yielding useful information, or do we need to try something else?
Thankfully, Texas doesn’t appear to have leaders such as those in California and Washington, D.C., who are brazenly exempting themselves from the very restrictions they impose on others. Our officials must recognize, though, that such news affects people everywhere. It’s natural to see such hypocrisy and tune out similar messages.
Too often, leaders are undermining each other. When the most direct message about stopping indoor gatherings comes from a high school football coach, as it did last week when Aledo’s Tim Buchanan called out “knuckleheads” having parties, there’s plenty of work to be done. We need to hear more from doctors and nurses about the horrors they’re seeing and the strain upon themselves and their colleagues.
North Texas is on the brink of new business restrictions under the governor’s standing order about occupancy limits. And the stakes are incredibly high. Taneja said Tuesday that 92% of intensive-care beds in Tarrant County are occupied. Just 36 are available, and just three for children, in a county of more than 2 million people.
That’s a sign something more than the county health director’s slideshow needs to change — fast.
This story was originally published November 18, 2020 at 5:03 AM.