vox--2020-06-29--What we know about a shooting at a protest in Louisville

A shooting at a protest in Louisville , Kentucky ’ s Jefferson Square Park resulted in one death and one injury Saturday night , according to the Louisville Courier-Journal .
The park has been the epicenter of ongoing protests against police brutality and racism , sparked by a series of police killings , including of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville .
Several protesters had set up tents and were staying overnight in the park .
The shooting began at around 9 pm ET , according to police .
Video posted on social media shows a man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the crowd from the edge of the park .
Police cleared the park following the shooting early Sunday morning and said demonstrations can continue during the day , but no one will be allowed to stay overnight .
“ I am deeply saddened by the violence that erupted in Jefferson Square Park tonight , where those who have been voicing their concerns have been gathered , ” Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer wrote on Facebook .
“ It is a tragedy that this area of peaceful protest is now a crime scene.
” This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s what we know so far .
What we know • Louisville Metro Police received reports of shots fired at Jefferson Square Park around 9 pm ET Saturday .
• Video posted on Facebook shows a man firing a gun into the park .
The clips show people screaming and dropping to the ground ; others began running .
One person can be seen on the ground as someone near them calls for a medic .
• Interim Louisville Police Chief Robert Schroeder said Sunday afternoon “ the man who is believed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nelson Lopez , was hospitalized and is in police custody .
The suspect was reportedly shot in the leg by other armed individuals at the park .
• Schroeder added the suspect had taken part in other protests , and had been asked to leave Saturday ’ s demonstration by other protesters “ due to his disruptive behavior.
” • The Jefferson County Sheriff ’ s Office reportedly attempted to perform emergency first aid on a man who had been shot .
He later died at the scene , and has been identified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 27-year-old Tyler Charles Gerth .
• A second victim was shot and found at the Hall of Justice near the park .
They were taken to a local hospital , having sustained non-life-threatening injuries .
• Around 10 pm Saturday , Louisville police arrived at the park in riot gear .
• Police cleared the park after the shooting to begin an investigation , and a local public works team packed up the tents left behind by protesters .
Police announced early Sunday morning that camping overnight in the park will no longer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a center of the international protests that have followed the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in late May .
Breonna Taylor , a 26-year-old Louisville EMT , was shot and killed by local police in her home on March 13 , about 10 weeks before Floyd ’ s death .
None of the three officers involved in Taylor ’ s death have been arrested .
• A counterprotest featuring “ armed freedom fighter patriots ” at the park was planned for earlier that day .
Some of the anti-racist and police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the daytime demonstration in anticipation of a confrontation , but no counterprotesters arrived .
• Saturday night ’ s shooting was not the first in a month of mostly-peaceful protests : Seven people were wounded during a shooting at nearby City Hall in Louisville on May 28 .
What we don ’ t know • The shooter ’ s motive and the firearm used Every day at Vox , we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you , and our audience around the world , with information that has the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more people than ever , but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles , videos , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

A shooting at a protest in Louisville, Kentucky’s Jefferson Square Park resulted in one death and one injury Saturday night, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal.
The park has been the epicenter of ongoing protests against police brutality and racism, sparked by a series of police killings, including of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville. Several protesters had set up tents and were staying overnight in the park.
The shooting began at around 9 pm ET, according to police. Video posted on social media shows a man firing more than a dozen shots into the crowd from the edge of the park.
Police cleared the park following the shooting early Sunday morning and said demonstrations can continue during the day, but no one will be allowed to stay overnight.
“I am deeply saddened by the violence that erupted in Jefferson Square Park tonight, where those who have been voicing their concerns have been gathered,” Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer wrote on Facebook. “It is a tragedy that this area of peaceful protest is now a crime scene.”
This is a developing story. Here’s what we know so far.
What we know
What we don’t know


vox--2020-06-29--Will the coronavirus drive down housing prices? This real estate broker says no.

Sam Chaudhry is closing on a $ 1.2 million house that the buyers have never been to .
His clients , a husband and wife with a young child , are moving to Texas from South Carolina .
The husband is working from home , and the wife is a physician .
Because of the nature of the wife ’ s job paired with the risk of contracting the coronavirus and getting their child sick , the couple is not touring homes in person .
First , they did a buyer consultation on Zoom .
Then they had family visit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virtual showing .
“ Buying a home is a very emotional process , ” Chaudhry , a real estate broker and managing partner at Remax in Houston , said .
“ Because when people walk in , they want to see their furniture in there , they want to see where their kids can be , or where they want to be growing their family.
” As the world has adapted to the coronavirus outbreak , the real estate market has shifted .
Although it varies state by state , housing prices have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may have expected , and the future of the market still remains uncertain .
While some have lost their jobs and are looking to downsize , others are packing up moving vans and upgrading to larger homes .
A recent study from OJO Labs concluded that 80 percent of buyers postponed or stopped their housing search , Forbes reported .
The same study showed that buyers are still looking at listing photos and taking virtual tours of properties .
The coronavirus pandemic has left real estate agencies , brokers , and agents at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vox spoke to Chaudhry , who sells and acts as a rental broker , about his experiences during the pandemic and how real estate is “ still on fire ” ( in a good way ) .
This interview has been edited for clarity and length .
How has your job changed since the coronavirus outbreak ?
Because of the coronavirus , we actually ended up going pretty much 100 percent virtual .
If we were doing a buyer consultation , we were doing it virtually , because the majority of the sellers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allowing showings .
If we went there , we had to sign the Covid forms , and we would take all precautions with masks and gloves and sanitizers and all the rest of the details .
There was a shock to the system for the whole real estate system , but they actually ended up adapting pretty good .
How do you deal with home showings during a pandemic ?
Initially we still had some clients who were flying in from out of town , and any time they wanted to , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would be taking all of the precautions : We would have face masks on , gloves on , and we will have hand sanitizer and try not to touch the surfaces .
We kept a 6- to 7-feet distance between the clients , and we left the door open so they could come and take a look at it , yet we still were 6 to 7 feet apart .
How has the coronavirus affected your business ?
One of the first things we actually ended up doing was reaching out to all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ though this is a temporary setback , everything should be okay , especially for the sellers we were working with .
With the buyers , we had a few deals which actually terminated the contracts because of the Covid situation .
But we stayed in touch with our clients pretty strongly , and our business is actually up compared to last year at the same time .
What does a typical workday look like for you during the stay-at-home order ?
I would come to the office , of course , because we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which were still in the pipeline .
I would come in , but instead of more face-to-face meetings , it was Zoom calls , and a lot of phone calls with a lot of previous clients , or new clients we were reaching out to .
We would reassure them of the market , and I did inform them that things might be different right now , but if they needed anything we were always a phone call away .
How do you envision the real estate market will change over the course @ @ @ @ @ @ @ estate is still on fire .
“ Real estate is still on fire ” [ In May ] , there was a decline in sales by 3.7 percent in Houston .
The reason is that real estate is a lagging indicator .
It takes approximately 35 to 50 days for a transaction to come through the pipeline or to show the numbers .
So if we ’ re looking at the month of May , numbers which are negative , that means the months of March and April , all those people who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or could not go out for the transaction .
One of the biggest things that happened was they drained the inventory [ of homes ] .
A lot of people wanted to show the property ... but didn ’ t want anybody to come and touch the surfaces .
Because they drained the market , it created a shortage of inventory where we are facing multiple offer situations whenever we are submitting the offer .
And this is not all over the place , this is very , very patchy at a lot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , all the price points were negative ; it doesn ’ t matter if you were buying a $ 50,000 house all the way up to $ 1 million-plus , all the sales were down .
But we ’ re anticipating a very solid month of June .
Kids and families who want to buy a house , they ’ re out and about , and because of that it ’ s creating a very solid market , plus low interest rates .
So you ’ re saying sales were down last month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or remain the same ?
Prices will go up .
If there is an incremental spike down , it won ’ t last long .
But remember , every market is gon na be different .
The Las Vegas market is a more service-oriented market , which is based on almost 75 percent hotels and casinos .
And those people are not going there .
So absolutely their prices are going to be affected .
But on the other hand , it ’ s such a diverse real estate market out here in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ biggest fears and frustrations ?
An appraisal which would usually take anywhere from seven to 10 days or so is now taking 14 to 20 days or so .
That is becoming one of the challenging things for us .
The other challenging thing — and this is kind of opposite to what you have probably heard — is with the high-end market .
Over $ 750,000 or $ 500,000 is considered a jumbo market down here in Houston .
A lot of banks stopped offering loans above a certain price point , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had to scramble .
I have clients who are moving in from South Carolina right now and in this position , and the two or three banks we ended up going to were not offering jumbo financing .
As things start to reopen , has that changed your business ?
My business has changed quite a lot , but we have become more remote and are doing transactions more virtually .
So the world has pretty much changed for us .
We are going to have a recession , which is coming .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ people are not feeling it for the time being because they are getting such huge unemployment benefits .
But that is coming to an end in mid-July .
We believe that the spike in the market for unemployment is going to rise again .
That will make consumer sentiment more negative .
We might have some slowdown , but we ’ ll see .
How do you think this might change the real estate world going forward ?
One thing people have recognized is that you can just do a transaction over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ process is going to still be the same because buying a house is a very personal thing , and clients still want to be reassured at every step of the way .
Especially during pandemic time , good real estate agents become extremely valuable because they can guide and anticipate what can go wrong because of the pandemic .
[ Clients ] still want to be reassured that they ’ re going to be okay .
Every day at Vox , we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with information that has the power to save lives .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more people than ever , but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles , videos , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contribution to Vox today .

Sam Chaudhry is closing on a $1.2 million house that the buyers have never been to. His clients, a husband and wife with a young child, are moving to Texas from South Carolina. The husband is working from home, and the wife is a physician. Because of the nature of the wife’s job paired with the risk of contracting the coronavirus and getting their child sick, the couple is not touring homes in person. First, they did a buyer consultation on Zoom. Then they had family visit the home and FaceTime them for a virtual showing.
“Buying a home is a very emotional process,” Chaudhry, a real estate broker and managing partner at Remax in Houston, said. “Because when people walk in, they want to see their furniture in there, they want to see where their kids can be, or where they want to be growing their family.”
As the world has adapted to the coronavirus outbreak, the real estate market has shifted. Although it varies state by state, housing prices have not dropped significantly in the way some may have expected, and the future of the market still remains uncertain. While some have lost their jobs and are looking to downsize, others are packing up moving vans and upgrading to larger homes. A recent study from OJO Labs concluded that 80 percent of buyers postponed or stopped their housing search, Forbes reported. The same study showed that buyers are still looking at listing photos and taking virtual tours of properties.
The coronavirus pandemic has left real estate agencies, brokers, and agents at the forefront of a changing market. Vox spoke to Chaudhry, who sells and acts as a rental broker, about his experiences during the pandemic and how real estate is “still on fire” (in a good way). This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
How has your job changed since the coronavirus outbreak?
Because of the coronavirus, we actually ended up going pretty much 100 percent virtual. If we were doing a buyer consultation, we were doing it virtually, because the majority of the sellers were actually at that time also not allowing showings. If we went there, we had to sign the Covid forms, and we would take all precautions with masks and gloves and sanitizers and all the rest of the details.
There was a shock to the system for the whole real estate system, but they actually ended up adapting pretty good.
How do you deal with home showings during a pandemic?
Initially we still had some clients who were flying in from out of town, and any time they wanted to, we had to show the property. We would be taking all of the precautions: We would have face masks on, gloves on, and we will have hand sanitizer and try not to touch the surfaces. We kept a 6- to 7-feet distance between the clients, and we left the door open so they could come and take a look at it, yet we still were 6 to 7 feet apart.
How has the coronavirus affected your business?
One of the first things we actually ended up doing was reaching out to all the clientele and reassuring them that even though this is a temporary setback, everything should be okay, especially for the sellers we were working with. With the buyers, we had a few deals which actually terminated the contracts because of the Covid situation. But we stayed in touch with our clients pretty strongly, and our business is actually up compared to last year at the same time.
What does a typical workday look like for you during the stay-at-home order?
I would come to the office, of course, because we were essential services. We had transactions which were still in the pipeline. I would come in, but instead of more face-to-face meetings, it was Zoom calls, and a lot of phone calls with a lot of previous clients, or new clients we were reaching out to. We would reassure them of the market, and I did inform them that things might be different right now, but if they needed anything we were always a phone call away.
How do you envision the real estate market will change over the course of the next few months?
Real estate is still on fire.
“Real estate is still on fire”
[In May], there was a decline in sales by 3.7 percent in Houston. The reason is that real estate is a lagging indicator. It takes approximately 35 to 50 days for a transaction to come through the pipeline or to show the numbers. So if we’re looking at the month of May, numbers which are negative, that means the months of March and April, all those people who could not go out for the showing or could not go out for the transaction.
One of the biggest things that happened was they drained the inventory [of homes]. A lot of people wanted to show the property ... but didn’t want anybody to come and touch the surfaces. Because they drained the market, it created a shortage of inventory where we are facing multiple offer situations whenever we are submitting the offer. And this is not all over the place, this is very, very patchy at a lot of different price points. Last month, all the price points were negative; it doesn’t matter if you were buying a $50,000 house all the way up to $1 million-plus, all the sales were down.
But we’re anticipating a very solid month of June. Kids and families who want to buy a house, they’re out and about, and because of that it’s creating a very solid market, plus low interest rates.
So you’re saying sales were down last month. Do you think prices will drop or remain the same?
Prices will go up. If there is an incremental spike down, it won’t last long. But remember, every market is gonna be different. The Las Vegas market is a more service-oriented market, which is based on almost 75 percent hotels and casinos. And those people are not going there. So absolutely their prices are going to be affected. But on the other hand, it’s such a diverse real estate market out here in Houston.
What are your clients’ biggest fears and frustrations?
An appraisal which would usually take anywhere from seven to 10 days or so is now taking 14 to 20 days or so. That is becoming one of the challenging things for us.
The other challenging thing — and this is kind of opposite to what you have probably heard — is with the high-end market. Over $750,000 or $500,000 is considered a jumbo market down here in Houston. A lot of banks stopped offering loans above a certain price point, or in jumbo financing, and we had to scramble. I have clients who are moving in from South Carolina right now and in this position, and the two or three banks we ended up going to were not offering jumbo financing.
As things start to reopen, has that changed your business?
My business has changed quite a lot, but we have become more remote and are doing transactions more virtually. So the world has pretty much changed for us.
We are going to have a recession, which is coming. The only thing is a lot of people are not feeling it for the time being because they are getting such huge unemployment benefits. But that is coming to an end in mid-July. We believe that the spike in the market for unemployment is going to rise again. That will make consumer sentiment more negative. We might have some slowdown, but we’ll see.
How do you think this might change the real estate world going forward?
One thing people have recognized is that you can just do a transaction over the computer or over the phone. The process is going to still be the same because buying a house is a very personal thing, and clients still want to be reassured at every step of the way. Especially during pandemic time, good real estate agents become extremely valuable because they can guide and anticipate what can go wrong because of the pandemic. [Clients] still want to be reassured that they’re going to be okay.


What day is it today?

Today is Monday , June 29 , 2020 , at least in the continental United States .
It is already Tuesday , June 30 , 2020 , in some parts of the world .
To some degree , time is an illusion .
We are bound by its forward passage , being the third-dimensional creatures we are , but the perceptions we have placed upon time have been invented .
Humans invented the year .
Humans invented the month .
Humans invented the day , the hour , the minute , the second .
These distinctions are not arbitrary — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the Earth to orbit the sun — but their creation was not inevitable .
Our numerical system is likely base-10 because we have 10 fingers ; the way we understand time is almost entirely dependent on the fact that we evolved on this planet , circling this sun .
Time , at least as we understand it , is also a byproduct of capitalism .
In his seminal 1967 economic paper “ Work-Discipline and Industrial Capitalism , ” E. P. Thompson notes that in early human cultures , delineations of time were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up and went down , when the seasons changed .
But as industrialization became the norm , time became a mechanized system that no longer served those who ’ d invented it .
We increasingly served at the beck and call of time , for that is how those who possessed capital could best regulate those who performed the labor .
For we are now at a point where sociologists are discussing the “ problem ” of leisure .
And a part of the problem is : how did it come to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ marriage of convenience with industrial capitalism , was the agent which converted men to new valuations of time ; which taught children even in their infancy to improve each shining hour ; and which saturated men ’ s minds with the equation , time is money .
One recurrent form of revolt within Western industrial capitalism , whether bohemian or beatnik , has often taken the form of flouting the urgency of respectable timevalues .
And the interesting question arises : if Puritanism was a necessary part of the work-ethos which enabled the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poverty-stricken economies of the past , will the Puritan valuation of time begin to decompose as the pressures of poverty relax ?
Is it decomposing already ?
Will men begin to lose that restless urgency , that desire to consume time purposively , which most people carry just as they carry a watch on their wrists ?
But it remains that on some base level , we will always understand time .
The sun comes up , the sun goes down .
Though we might be inside , where that process is more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our insideness does not obscure the day and night cycle .
What is lost , as each day blends into the next , in vaguely similar ways , is the mechanistic definition of time , the capitalist definition of time , the industrial definition of time .
We do not know what day it is , but we do know when there is a new day .
To live inside is to lose distinction .
There is a numbing effect that occurs when each day is the same , when our schedules are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gulf of undifferentiated time .
And yet isn ’ t this how so many of the less privileged around the world , forced to work jobs involving menial labor , day after day after day , already live ?
Isn ’ t this why we invented the weekend ?
Has this quarantine simply shown to those of us with more economic privilege that our “ free time ” was always a mirage , which could disappear before our eyes , by giving us so much “ free ” time ?
I have a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and when I need to orient myself in time , I look at it .
But even the usefulness of my calendar has started to fray around the edges .
I began writing this story because I couldn ’ t quite believe it was a Thursday , even as I knew it had to be a Thursday .
But it might as well not be .
A cycle that bears the sun across our sky until it sets in the west is a reality ; “ Thursday ” is an invention .
Is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t know .
I will update this article daily until we don ’ t need it anymore .
I hope there is a time when we know it is Thursday or Tuesday or June 17 without having to look at a calendar or ask each other or Google .
I hope there is a time when going outside to see the sun doesn ’ t feel like exposing yourself to toxic levels of radiation .
( I know I should be taking walks ; every time , I feel like I ’ m @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is a time in which all this “ free ” time no longer feels like a period we must exploit for maximum value .
I hope there is a time when I remember what it ’ s like to grab lunch with a friend , to watch dogs play in the surf , to breathe in the air and just be .
Until then , find a way to make time have meaning for you .
Read a long book .
Cook an elaborate meal .
Take up knitting .
Write an epic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve always meant to get to .
Sleep .
Remember that time doesn ’ t own you , and that you own time .
This will be over someday , a part of the past .
It will someday be a memory .
Hang on to that .
I ’ ll see you outside again .
For now , it is Monday , June 29 , 2020 .
In some parts of the world , it is Tuesday , June 30 , 2020 .
Are you a “ What day is it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our official theme song .
It ’ s written by composer Laura Stratford , and it is wonderful .

Today is Wednesday, July 1, 2020, at least in the continental United States. It is already Thursday, July 2, 2020, in some parts of the world. Life isn’t resuming gracefully, but the herky jerky train wreck of America’s reopening certainly speaks to some desire to exit this quarantine period. And so “What Day Is It Today” will exit the stage, too. For now, at least.
To some degree, time is an illusion. We are bound by its forward passage, being the third-dimensional creatures we are, but the perceptions we have placed upon time have been invented. Humans invented the year. Humans invented the month. Humans invented the day, the hour, the minute, the second.
These distinctions are not arbitrary — it really does take about 365 days for the Earth to orbit the sun — but their creation was not inevitable. Our numerical system is likely base-10 because we have 10 fingers; the way we understand time is almost entirely dependent on the fact that we evolved on this planet, circling this sun.
Time, at least as we understand it, is also a byproduct of capitalism. In his seminal 1967 economic paper “Work-Discipline and Industrial Capitalism,” E. P. Thompson notes that in early human cultures, delineations of time were broad understandings of when the sun came up and went down, when the seasons changed. But as industrialization became the norm, time became a mechanized system that no longer served those who’d invented it. We increasingly served at the beck and call of time, for that is how those who possessed capital could best regulate those who performed the labor.
Thompson writes:
For we are now at a point where sociologists are discussing the “problem” of leisure. And a part of the problem is: how did it come to be a problem ? Puritanism, in its marriage of convenience with industrial capitalism, was the agent which converted men to new valuations of time; which taught children even in their infancy to improve each shining hour; and which saturated men’s minds with the equation, time is money. One recurrent form of revolt within Western industrial capitalism, whether bohemian or beatnik, has often taken the form of flouting the urgency of respectable timevalues. And the interesting question arises: if Puritanism was a necessary part of the work-ethos which enabled the industrialized world to break out of the poverty-stricken economies of the past, will the Puritan valuation of time begin to decompose as the pressures of poverty relax? Is it decomposing already? Will men begin to lose that restless urgency, that desire to consume time purposively, which most people carry just as they carry a watch on their wrists?
But it remains that on some base level, we will always understand time. The sun comes up, the sun goes down. Though we might be inside, where that process is more difficult to witness, the fact of our insideness does not obscure the day and night cycle. What is lost, as each day blends into the next, in vaguely similar ways, is the mechanistic definition of time, the capitalist definition of time, the industrial definition of time. We do not know what day it is, but we do know when there is a new day.
To live inside is to lose distinction. There is a numbing effect that occurs when each day is the same, when our schedules are subsumed by what feels like an endless gulf of undifferentiated time. And yet isn’t this how so many of the less privileged around the world, forced to work jobs involving menial labor, day after day after day, already live? Isn’t this why we invented the weekend? Has this quarantine simply shown to those of us with more economic privilege that our “free time” was always a mirage, which could disappear before our eyes, by giving us so much “free” time?
I have a wall calendar hanging above my desk, and when I need to orient myself in time, I look at it. But even the usefulness of my calendar has started to fray around the edges. I began writing this story because I couldn’t quite believe it was a Thursday, even as I knew it had to be a Thursday. But it might as well not be. A cycle that bears the sun across our sky until it sets in the west is a reality; “Thursday” is an invention. Is it still necessary? I don’t know.
What’s important to remember is that time doesn’t own you. You own time. This will be over someday, a part of the past. It will someday be a memory. Hang on to that. I’ll see you outside again.
This story was originally published Friday, March 27, 2020.
Are you a “What day is it today?” superfan? Check out our official theme song. It’s written by composer Laura Stratford, and it is wonderful.


vox--2020-07-01--This July, the Vox Book Club is reading Curtis Sittenfeld’s Rodham

As the Vox Book Club sails into July , we ’ re going to take a moment to wave a fond farewell to the frothy joys of The Princess Bride .
We just closed out a fantastic panel discussion on both book and movie with the Cut ’ s Sangeeta Singh-Kurtz and the Undefeated ’ s Soraya Nadia McDonald , which covered everything from why Prince Humperdinck is a lost Trump brother to our dream casting for an updated Princess Bride prestige limited TV series ( Dev Patel and Zendaya , call your agents ) .
If you missed it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recording and transcript !
The Princess Bride dispensed with , we ’ ll turn ourselves full speed ahead into dealing with American politics , in the halo of Independence Day .
Specifically , the American politics of recent and alternative history .
For the month of July , the Vox Book Club is going to be reading Curtis Sittenfeld ’ s Rodham , an alternate history that tells us what would have happened if Hillary Rodham had never married Bill Clinton .
On its own merits , Rodham is a juicy , scandalous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the way American politics have evolved during the decades the Clinton family has been in public life .
( Plus , there are some oddly intimate sex scenes that in and of themselves are fodder for endless conversation . )
And because this is Vox and we have access to some of the most detail-oriented politics nerds on the planet , we ’ re going to bring in some Vox experts to help us fact-check Rodham ’ s politics and put the book into context , both as a piece of alternate political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Real Person Fiction .
So we ’ ll also be changing up our standard book club format this month .
Instead of going through the book section by section , with one discussion post per section , we ’ re going to do two discussion posts this month , each with a special Vox guest star .
Both posts will assume that you ’ ve already read the full book , but they ’ ll each approach the book from a different angle .
As always , I ’ ll provide discussion questions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conversation , either here at the site or within your own community .
And we ’ ll all meet up at the end of the month for a special virtual live event .
I can ’ t wait to see you there .
Sign up here to be notified about new book selections , discussions , and related live events .
Friday , July 10 : Discussion of political Real Person Fiction and how Rodham fits into the genre Friday , July 24 : Fact-checking Rodham ’ s alternate history and a conversation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the myth , the politician Thursday , July 30 : Virtual live event , details TBD .
Sign up for the Vox Book Club newsletter for more info !
Every day at Vox , we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you , and our audience around the world , with information that has the power to save lives .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more people than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles , videos , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
Please consider making a contribution to Vox today .

As the Vox Book Club sails into July, we’re going to take a moment to wave a fond farewell to the frothy joys of The Princess Bride. We just closed out a fantastic panel discussion on both book and movie with the Cut’s Sangeeta Singh-Kurtz and the Undefeated’s Soraya Nadia McDonald, which covered everything from why Prince Humperdinck is a lost Trump brother to our dream casting for an updated Princess Bride prestige limited TV series (Dev Patel and Zendaya, call your agents). If you missed it, I highly recommend checking out the recording and transcript!
The Princess Bride dispensed with, we’ll turn ourselves full speed ahead into dealing with American politics, in the halo of Independence Day. Specifically, the American politics of recent and alternative history.
For the month of July, the Vox Book Club is going to be reading Curtis Sittenfeld’s Rodham, an alternate history that tells us what would have happened if Hillary Rodham had never married Bill Clinton. On its own merits, Rodham is a juicy, scandalous read, with plenty to say about the way American politics have evolved during the decades the Clinton family has been in public life. (Plus, there are some oddly intimate sex scenes that in and of themselves are fodder for endless conversation.)
And because this is Vox and we have access to some of the most detail-oriented politics nerds on the planet, we’re going to bring in some Vox experts to help us fact-check Rodham’s politics and put the book into context, both as a piece of alternate political history and as a work of political Real Person Fiction.
So we’ll also be changing up our standard book club format this month. Instead of going through the book section by section, with one discussion post per section, we’re going to do two discussion posts this month, each with a special Vox guest star. Both posts will assume that you’ve already read the full book, but they’ll each approach the book from a different angle. As always, I’ll provide discussion questions you can use to guide your Rodham conversation, either here at the site or within your own community. And we’ll all meet up at the end of the month for a special virtual live event. I can’t wait to see you there.
Sign up here to be notified about new book selections, discussions, and related live events.
Here’s the full Vox Book Club schedule for July 2020
Friday, July 10: Discussion of political Real Person Fiction and how Rodham fits into the genre
Friday, July 24: Fact-checking Rodham’s alternate history and a conversation about Hillary Rodham Clinton, the woman, the myth, the politician
Thursday, July 30: Virtual live event, details TBD. Sign up for the Vox Book Club newsletter for more info!


vox--2020-07-01--Join the Vox Book Club!

Join the Vox Book Club!

Here ’ s how the Vox Book Club works : Every month , we pick a book .
Throughout the month , we publish a series of discussion posts containing thoughts and discussion questions from Vox book critic Constance Grady , but we also have comments turned on and moderated so you can share your thoughts , too .
Talk among yourselves !
Post your opinions and questions !
Or use our discussion posts as a jumping-off point for ( socially distanced ) discussions with your own friends and family .
And at the end of the month , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discussion .
After a fantastic June spent discussing William Goldman ’ s The Princess Bride ( watch a replay of the live event here ! )
, in July we ’ ll turn to Curtis Sittenfeld ’ s Rodham .
Rodham is an alternate history that tells us what would have happened if Hillary Rodham had never married Bill Clinton .
On its own merits , Rodham is a juicy , scandalous read , with plenty to say about the way American politics have evolved during the decades the Clinton family has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there are some oddly intimate sex scenes that in and of themselves are fodder for endless conversation . )
And because this is Vox and we have access to some of the most detail-oriented politics nerds on the planet , we ’ re going to bring in some special Vox experts to help us fact-check Rodham ’ s politics and put the book into context , both as a piece of alternate political history and as a work of political Real Person Fiction .
We ’ re going to do two discussion posts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vox guest star .
Both posts will assume that you ’ ve already read the whole book , but they ’ ll each approach it book from a different angle .
The first discussion post for will go up on Friday , July 10 .
Sign up here to be notified about new book selections , discussions , and related live events .
Friday , July 10 : Discussion post on political Real Person Fiction and how Rodham fits into the genre Friday , July 24 : Discussion post fact-checking Rodham ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ imagines Hillary Rodham Clinton , the woman , the myth , the politician Thursday , July 30 : Virtual live event , details TBD .
Sign up for the Vox Book Club newsletter for more info !

The Vox Book Club is linking to Bookshop.org to support local and independent booksellers.
Here’s how the Vox Book Club works: Each month, we pick a book. Around the middle of the month, we publish a discussion post containing thoughts and questions from Vox book critic Constance Grady, but we also have comments turned on and moderated so you can share your thoughts, too. Talk among yourselves! Post your opinions and questions! Or use the conversation as a jumping-off point for your own conversations with friends and family. And at the end of the month, we gather on Zoom for a virtual live discussion.
Our pick for November 2021 is Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid. It’s a witty and biting debut novel that also contains one of the cringiest Thanksgiving scenes ever committed to the page. We’ll have plenty to discuss here on the site, and at the end of the month, we’ll meet with Reid herself live on Zoom to discuss the whole thing. RSVP here to join the fun, and in the meantime, subscribe to the Vox Book Club newsletter to make sure you don’t miss anything.
Here’s the full Vox Book Club schedule for November 2021:
Friday, November 19: Discussion post on Such a Fun Age published to Vox.com
Tuesday, November 30, 5 pm Eastern: Virtual live event with author Kiley Reid. RSVP here. Reader questions are encouraged!


vox--2020-07-01--Close the bars. Reopen the schools.

Close the bars. Reopen the schools.

There ’ s something wrong with America ’ s discussion about reopening .
Federal and state guidelines for reopening economies amid the coronavirus pandemic tend to frame recommendations in individual terms : This is what your school , restaurant , or bar should do to reopen safely — minimize capacity , stagger students or customers , encourage mask-wearing , and so on .
But some experts say these recommendations miss the point .
Reopening is a community-wide project .
Whether a school can reopen safely , for example , doesn ’ t just depend on capacity , personal protective equipment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on how widespread the coronavirus is in the community outside the school ’ s walls .
Ashish Jha , the faculty director of the Harvard Global Health Institute , likened individual actions to putting up sandbags and other protective measures around a house during a flood .
Yes , the sandbags can help .
But if the water reaches a certain height , no amount of protective measures around the house are going to keep it safe .
“ If the flood in your community is massive , there ’ s nothing you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Jha told me .
“ So the first thing you want to do is make sure that the river doesn ’ t get too high .
The second thing you can think about is how to protect your home.
” Coronavirus outbreaks play out in similar terms .
Getting people to stay 6 feet from each other , wear masks , wash their hands , and stagger groups to keep overall numbers down helps .
But if a community is flooded with infections , the chances are much higher that those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many protective steps are embraced .
The school or restaurant in question will become yet another place where people can meet and transmit the virus , and that will make the epidemic worse .
It ’ s this rationale that ’ s led some experts to frame reopening in more zero-sum terms — to argue that the most important thing we could do to reopen any particular place or venue is reduce community transmission .
In other words : If you want to reopen schools this fall , then you need to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ close to zero as possible , this summer .
And that means opting not to reopen — possibly at all and definitely not at full capacity — restaurants , bars , nightclubs , or other places that will lead to significantly more coronavirus spread but have less value to society than schools .
“ We need to recognize we won ’ t be getting back to normal for some time , ” Helen Jenkins , an epidemiologist at Boston University who wrote about this concept in viral tweets , told me .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to have to make some sacrifices.
” One way to look at this , Jenkins said , is to imagine reopening as a budget .
If the goal is to keep community transmission below a certain level , there are only so many places that can be opened before a jurisdiction ’ s reopening budget is spent .
And each place that ’ s reopened , from parks to schools to bars , will likely increase transmission to some extent ( though to different degrees — outdoor venues , for example , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
That means establishing priorities : schools over bars and nightclubs , and major local employers over sporting events and movie theaters .
“ Everybody ’ s been asking the question , ‘ How do we open up schools safely ?
’ ” Jha said .
“ My argument ’ s been : Live in a community that doesn ’ t have a big disease outbreak .
That ’ s how you open up schools safely.
” Individual actions help , but community transmission is key It ’ s not that individual actions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There ’ s solid and growing evidence that such steps , including wearing a mask , are key to mitigating coronavirus outbreaks overall .
Experts say it ’ s important that individuals and places continue taking such measures .
But the most important consideration for any single place thinking about reopening may not be what steps it takes but how widespread the coronavirus is outside its doors .
If 5 percent of a community is infected with Covid-19 at any given time — so there ’ s up to a 5 percent chance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be infectious — that ’ s , obviously , much worse than 0.1 percent of the community being infected and a 0.1 percent chance .
( The math isn ’ t quite this clean in reality , but it gets the concept across . )
On the higher end of the spectrum , community transmission can even get so bad that almost nothing can stay open .
If Covid-19 becomes so widespread in a community that simply interacting with anyone you don ’ t live with is too risky , then even relatively @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , can start to pose a significant risk of transmission too .
“ If we try to do everything , we can end up with a repeat of March , ” Jenkins said .
“ And we end up with nothing , because we have to lock up everything again.
” This is why it can be misleading to draw comparisons between different regions reopening at different rates .
For example , Denmark got attention after its schools and day care centers reopened without causing a spike in coronavirus cases .
But Denmark @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outbreak — with almost one-twentieth the cases per person as the US , despite having nearly twice as much testing relative to its population .
That makes it hard to say that reopening schools in the US would have the same effect .
Many people are probably already thinking in these terms to some degree , likely feeling safer eating at a restaurant in , say , Wyoming or Vermont than in a Covid-19 epicenter like Arizona or Florida .
But experts argue that policymakers , school administrators , and business owners should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they ’ re making decisions about reopening .
“ I get a lot of business folks who call me and say , ‘ Here ’ s our testing strategy for employees .
What do you think ?
’ ” Jha said .
“ But if you ’ re in Phoenix right now , you can have whatever testing strategy you want for your workers .
It ’ s not going to do anything.
” Governments should think about reopening as a budget One way to think about all of this is that each @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a limited reopening budget .
The goal is to keep the basic reproduction number in a community below 1 .
That would mean that every person who gets coronavirus transmits it to , on average , fewer than one other person .
Over time , that would lead to coronavirus cases falling closer and closer to zero .
This number is typically calculated as the R0 or Rt , depending on the methods used .
( Some websites , like Rt.live , calculate this figure for all states , and it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . )
Although different settings carry different risks , any place in which people who don ’ t live together interact likely increases the risk of Covid-19 transmission to some degree .
Knowing that , different jurisdictions can only open a limited number of venues .
Some of that could come down to the effective “ cost ” — the amount of risk present in any given venue .
For example , parks , beaches , and other outdoor places seem to carry a very small risk of coronavirus spread , thanks to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wider distances between people , and , potentially , the ability of heat , UV light , and humidity to snare the virus .
Meanwhile , bars carry a large risk .
They ’ re often cramped and poorly ventilated places where people can remain and possibly talk loudly — spreading droplets — for hours as drinking loosens their inhibitions .
In the framework of the reopening budget , parks and beaches are cheap , and bars are expensive — so maybe it ’ s prudent to open parks and beaches first .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
For example , schools likely carry some risk of Covid-19 transmission , as an indoor environment in which students , teachers , and other school staff interact for hours .
But schools are also really important for day-to-day life — not just for kids ’ education , but also for food , shelter , and child care while parents are at work .
Knowing that , a community may decide to fit schools into its reopening budget .
The trade-off would be that other places , such as restaurants , bars , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remain closed .
Different communities could also prioritize different settings .
If a specific factory is a big source of jobs in a city , maybe the local government there will deem it a priority even if it carries a certain risk of transmission .
This is , in effect , what communities around the world have done as they deem certain goods and services “ essential ” and allow them to reopen or stay open .
On the flip side , certain measures — like aggressive testing , contact tracing , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transmission overall .
In practice , a budget can ’ t be perfectly allocated .
We don ’ t have data to say , to use a made-up example , that restaurants at limited capacity add 0.5 to a community ’ s Rt , the factory adds 0.3 , schools add 0.2 , parks add 0.05 , and the test-and-trace program subtracts 0.1 — making it safe to do all that and remain below an Rt of 1 .
We don ’ t know enough about the spread of Covid-19 , and possibly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of granular determinations .
A more realistic implementation , instead , is to some degree what states are already doing : slowly reopening parts of the state bit by bit , giving each phase of reopening some time to gauge the full effects , and slowing down or reversing course if rates of infection increase .
“ Since this is new and we don ’ t have data and experience to guide us , it makes sense to take things slowly , ” Lauren Ancel Meyers , a mathematical biologist at the University @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Relax things bit by bit and see if it ’ s working .
If we relax a few measures , we watch the data for a few weeks ; if it ’ s not going up , maybe we can relax a bit more.
” Where thinking of this problem as a state budget comes in is that it can make priorities more explicit .
So far , states have generally proposed broad plans in which they ’ re opening all parts of their economies , with the goal of returning to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as possible — letting bars , sports , and other entertainment venues eventually open in some capacity .
But if you know you have a limited budget , and this budget is truly zero-sum , that can make your calculations about priorities more explicit .
If bars or sports stadiums add far too much to the Rt , all while not serving as much value as schools , then the risk of opening bars and stadiums before the fall just isn ’ t worth it — because that could endanger the prospect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get out of control .
“ We may just be at a point where we say during the pandemic we ’ re not going to have nightclubs , ” Jha argued .
“ If we want nightclubs , we may not be able to get schools and other businesses open , or we ’ ll have to deal with hospitals getting full .
That is the right way to think about it.
” Every day at Vox , we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you , and our audience @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has the power to save lives .
Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment : to empower you through understanding .
Vox ’ s work is reaching more people than ever , but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources — particularly during a pandemic and an economic downturn .
Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation , but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles , videos , and podcasts at the quality and volume that this moment requires .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ today .

There’s something wrong with America’s discussion about reopening.
Federal and state guidelines for reopening economies amid the coronavirus pandemic tend to frame recommendations in individual terms: This is what your school, restaurant, or bar should do to reopen safely: minimize capacity, stagger students or customers, encourage mask-wearing, and so on.
But some experts say these recommendations miss the point. Reopening is a community-wide project. Whether a school can reopen safely, for example, doesn’t just depend on capacity, personal protective equipment, or individual actions. It depends on how widespread the coronavirus is in the community outside the school’s walls.
Ashish Jha, the faculty director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, likened individual actions to putting up sandbags and other protective measures around a house during a flood. Yes, the sandbags can help. But if the water reaches a certain height, no amount of protective measures around the house are going to keep it safe.
“If the flood in your community is massive, there’s nothing you can do to keep the water out,” Jha told me. “So the first thing you want to do is make sure that the river doesn’t get too high. The second thing you can think about is how to protect your home.”
Coronavirus outbreaks play out in similar terms. Getting people to stay 6 feet from each other, wear masks, wash their hands, and stagger groups to keep overall numbers down helps. But if a community is flooded with infections, the chances are much higher that those infections will creep in no matter how many protective steps are embraced. The school or restaurant in question will become yet another place where people can meet and transmit the virus, and that will make the epidemic worse.
It’s this rationale that’s led some experts to frame reopening in more zero-sum terms — to argue that the most important thing we could do to reopen any particular place or venue is reduce community transmission.
In other words: If you want to reopen schools this fall, then you need to get the spread of Covid-19 down, as close to zero as possible, this summer. And that means opting not to reopen — possibly at all and definitely not at full capacity — restaurants, bars, nightclubs, or other places that will lead to significantly more coronavirus spread but have less value to society than schools.
“We need to recognize we won’t be getting back to normal for some time,” Helen Jenkins, an epidemiologist at Boston University who wrote about this concept in viral tweets, told me. “We need to recognize we’re going to have to make some sacrifices.”
One way to look at this, Jenkins said, is to imagine reopening as a budget. If the goal is to keep community transmission below a certain level, there are only so many places that can be opened before a jurisdiction’s reopening budget is spent. And each place that’s reopened, from parks to schools to bars, will likely increase transmission to some extent (though to different degrees — outdoor venues, for example, are generally safer than indoor ones).
That means establishing priorities: schools over bars and nightclubs, and major local employers over sporting events and movie theaters.
“Everybody’s been asking the question, ‘How do we open up schools safely?’” Jha said. “My argument’s been: Live in a community that doesn’t have a big disease outbreak. That’s how you open up schools safely.”
Individual actions help, but community transmission is key
It’s not that individual actions are worthless. Far from it: There’s solid and growing evidence that such steps, including wearing a mask, are key to mitigating coronavirus outbreaks overall. Experts say it’s important that individuals and places continue taking such measures.
But the most important consideration for any single place thinking about reopening may not be what steps it takes but how widespread the coronavirus is outside its doors. If 5 percent of a community is infected with Covid-19 at any given time — so there’s up to a 5 percent chance that anyone coming into a venue will be infectious — that’s, obviously, much worse than 0.1 percent of the community being infected and a 0.1 percent chance. (The math isn’t quite this clean in reality, but it gets the concept across.)
On the higher end of the spectrum, community transmission can even get so bad that almost nothing can stay open. If Covid-19 becomes so widespread in a community that simply interacting with anyone you don’t live with is too risky, then even relatively safe places, like beaches or parks, can start to pose a significant risk of transmission too.
“If we try to do everything, we can end up with a repeat of March,” Jenkins said. “And we end up with nothing, because we have to lock up everything again.”
This is why it can be misleading to draw comparisons between different regions reopening at different rates. For example, Denmark got attention after its schools and day care centers reopened without causing a spike in coronavirus cases. But Denmark has also experienced a relatively small Covid-19 outbreak — with almost one-twentieth the cases per person as the US, despite having nearly twice as much testing relative to its population. That makes it hard to say that reopening schools in the US would have the same effect.
Many people are probably already thinking in these terms to some degree, likely feeling safer eating at a restaurant in, say, Wyoming or Vermont than in a Covid-19 epicenter like Arizona or Florida.
But experts argue that policymakers, school administrators, and business owners should more explicitly operate under these terms when they’re making decisions about reopening.
“I get a lot of business folks who call me and say, ‘Here’s our testing strategy for employees. What do you think?’” Jha said. “But if you’re in Phoenix right now, you can have whatever testing strategy you want for your workers. It’s not going to do anything.”
Governments should think about reopening as a budget
One way to think about all of this is that each municipality, state, and country has a limited reopening budget.
The goal is to keep the basic reproduction number in a community below 1. That would mean that every person who gets coronavirus transmits it to, on average, fewer than one other person. Over time, that would lead to coronavirus cases falling closer and closer to zero. This number is typically calculated as the R0 or Rt, depending on the methods used. (Some websites, like Rt.live, calculate this figure for all states, and it’s at 1 or more in most states.)
Although different settings carry different risks, any place in which people who don’t live together interact likely increases the risk of Covid-19 transmission to some degree. Knowing that, different jurisdictions can only open a limited number of venues.
Some of that could come down to the effective “cost” — the amount of risk present in any given venue. For example, parks, beaches, and other outdoor places seem to carry a very small risk of coronavirus spread, thanks to the open air diluting coronavirus-infected droplets, wider distances between people, and, potentially, the ability of heat, UV light, and humidity to snare the virus.
Meanwhile, bars carry a large risk. They’re often cramped and poorly ventilated places where people can remain and possibly talk loudly — spreading droplets — for hours as drinking loosens their inhibitions. In the framework of the reopening budget, parks and beaches are cheap, and bars are expensive — so maybe it’s prudent to open parks and beaches first.
It can also come down to priorities. For example, schools likely carry some risk of Covid-19 transmission, as an indoor environment in which students, teachers, and other school staff interact for hours. But schools are also really important for day-to-day life — not just for kids’ education, but also for food, shelter, and child care while parents are at work. Knowing that, a community may decide to fit schools into its reopening budget. The trade-off would be that other places, such as restaurants, bars, or gyms, more likely have to remain closed.
Different communities could also prioritize different settings. If a specific factory is a big source of jobs in a city, maybe the local government there will deem it a priority even if it carries a certain risk of transmission. This is, in effect, what communities around the world have done as they deem certain goods and services “essential” and allow them to reopen or stay open.
On the flip side, certain measures — like aggressive testing, contact tracing, and isolating — may reduce the risk of transmission overall.
In practice, a budget can’t be perfectly allocated. We don’t have data to say, to use a made-up example, that restaurants at limited capacity add 0.5 to a community’s Rt, the factory adds 0.3, schools add 0.2, parks add 0.05, and the test-and-trace program subtracts 0.1 — making it safe to do all that and remain below an Rt of 1. We don’t know enough about the spread of Covid-19, and possibly never will, to make those kinds of granular determinations.
A more realistic implementation, instead, is to some degree what states are already doing: slowly reopening parts of the state bit by bit, giving each phase of reopening some time to gauge the full effects, and slowing down or reversing course if rates of infection increase.
“Since this is new and we don’t have data and experience to guide us, it makes sense to take things slowly,” Lauren Ancel Meyers, a mathematical biologist at the University of Texas Austin, told me. “Relax things bit by bit and see if it’s working. If we relax a few measures, we watch the data for a few weeks; if it’s not going up, maybe we can relax a bit more.”
Where thinking of this problem as a state budget comes in is that it can make priorities more explicit. So far, states have generally proposed broad plans in which they’re opening all parts of their economies, with the goal of returning to normal, or as close to normal, as possible — letting bars, sports, and other entertainment venues eventually open in some capacity.
But if you know you have a limited budget, and this budget is truly zero-sum, that can make your calculations about priorities more explicit. If bars or sports stadiums add far too much to the Rt, all while not serving as much value as schools, then the risk of opening bars and stadiums before the fall just isn’t worth it — because that could endanger the prospect of reopening schools by letting community transmission get out of control.
“We may just be at a point where we say during the pandemic we’re not going to have nightclubs,” Jha argued. “If we want nightclubs, we may not be able to get schools and other businesses open, or we’ll have to deal with hospitals getting full. That is the right way to think about it.”