Saying What They Won't: Speech-Writing for a Pandemic

My Fellow Americans:

Until a few months ago, COVID-19 was not a disease that affected humanity. It was not even a word in our vocabulary. In an extremely brief period of time, it has affected millions of people around the globe. The world has not seen a pandemic like this in living memory. As a result, policymakers are having to make decisions with the best available, but undoubtedly imperfect, information in this dynamic situation.

Because of this, it is imperative that we acknowledge the costs, benefits, and likelihood of said outcomes of any policy option we consider in a transparent manner. Those cost-benefit calculations will likely change over time as new information emerges. We must thread the needle between "moving the goalposts" and "responding to updated information." To thread this needle, we must be transparent. People must know what their government is doing, what it is asking them to do, and why.

Thousands of researchers and healthcare professionals have been working long hours to understand this virus and help reduce its impact on human health. While researchers still do not fully understand how this virus causes very serious complications, it is clear that it does. It is also clear, although again not fully understood at this time, that a large proportion of people who are infected with the virus will not have serious complications.

Currently, it is not possible to predict which outcome people will have if they are exposed, but it is very likely that every American knows people who will have serious complications from COVID if they were exposed, and every American knows people who will have minimal symptoms if they were exposed. For either outcome, this likely includes your parents, your siblings, your co-workers, your friends, your neighbors, your doctor, or even yourself.

It is very unlikely that any action we take will eliminate COVID from the US. The fact that we cannot eliminate COVID should not dissuade us from taking those actions that have a significant likelihood of reducing community transmission. We do not need to eliminate this virus to ensure that all Americans can feel safe re-engaging with work, play, family, and friends. To do that we simply have to limit widespread community transmission. This virus is relatively easy to spread from person to person, and that is why we are in the current situation of having over 50,000 new cases identified each day.

The success of our efforts to limit community transmission will largely depend on our collective willingness, as a nation, to accept (for the present time) changes in our workplaces, schools, and social activities that are challenging to implement, and perhaps even feel antithetical to our values regarding individual liberty. These trade-offs are real, but they will not last forever. The benefit of these changes will not be immediately apparent — it may take several weeks before these efforts result in fewer infections — although the apparent costs to personal liberty will be felt immediately. But as a nation, we must be willing to accept the restrictions of today because they are necessary to ensure the freedom of tomorrow.

The COVID pandemic does not have to be a zero-sum game, wherein we sacrifice the death of some for the liberty of others, nor must we sacrifice our social and economic experiences for the opportunity that others may live. We all benefit — socially, economically, mentally, and physically — from living in a nation where COVID is not widespread. This goal is achievable, and everyone has an active part to play in this recovery.

Many hands make light work, and COVID is a population-wide problem that requires a population-wide approach.

Thank you, godspeed, and good night.