As someone who spends my life online I really try not to let that fool me into thinking that it is reflective of the country. I know it isn’t. But I admit that this one surprised me:
Judging by the raging argument over this online, I honestly thought these numbers were probably reversed. The argument seems to be completely political at this point and I just assumed that polling must have shown a large majority of Americans saying they are “done with COVID.” How else to explain this rush to remove mask requirements and the intense pressure to go back to “normal” (whatever that is these days) when we still have high numbers of hospitalization and death and lots of virus in most communities?
This blows up my theory. I still assume that it’s political but it must be based on other criteria than public opinion. Economics would seem to be the logical choice but everyone is working and growth is through the roof. Inflation is a problem but it’s unclear how lifting the mask mandates would affect that.
So, I don’t know. Maybe they just wanted to “do something” to make everyone feel more normal. I just hope they haven’t inadvertently prolonged this surge by doing it.