To open or not to open, that is the question

In the begining it was just a bizarre story happening in Wuhan, a unknown place nobody could place on the map. We were pretty safe in our comfy lives. By the time it landed on our shores it was too late. WWIII started without a shot accross the bow. It bears the question: what was the arms race all about? A big snafu? The heat seeking air-to-air, or to-earth- missiles, the Star Wars shields and mega bombs? Oh boy. We really did not see this one comin’. One more time man thought the future would go according to his plan. Wrong. Once the war started, not the pandemia, The War, two schools opened for business. The lockdown school -“let’s save lives now and worry about the economy later”- and the herd inmunity school -“let’s go on about our lives as usual and maybe we’ll lose a few. Or not”. Patton predicted the same thing about his landing scenario in Sicily, “80 thousand casualties. Tops!”.

Nothing’s gone according to plan, except in too-few-to-mention cases. Peru went for lockdown. All out. At first everything peachy. People were proud of the quick response from their gouverment, the Prez popularity was off the charts, everybody punctually applauding at their windows at 8 pm. Pretty soon it all started smelling like yesterday’s fish. The lockdown continued and the number of casualties continued to climb. From then on it all went south. The chase for culprits was on; curses and accusations flying all over the place. It’s time to look at two things. We’re a in a bad place but in a bad place next to the US and the UK who chose not to do lockdown. They lost quite a few people just like us but also both their economies took a blow to the chin. Like us. Which just goes to show there is no silver bullet. Trump a man who only believes in the bottom line went from 3 million of unemployed to 40 million (QI2020). Boris does not know whether to open, to close, to let more people die or to check on Brexit. The UK holds the European sad record for casualties and their economy could shrink by 25%.

Many forget that in 1941 England was losing the war to Germany. Dramatically. The past two years had been plagued with suffering, scarsity and death. They avoided being invaded because Herr Hitler, inexplicably, let their army go at Dunkirk, otherwise we would all be speaking German. One of the WWII greatest mysteries. In their Darkest Hour the Brits hunkered down and kept on fighting. They lost many battles but ultimatly won the war.

No doubt Peru would be better off with Chuchill, but it is what it is. Peru has to keep on fighting because there is no other way out. We’ll all come out poorer albeit with very clean hand. Patience. A country can be rebuilt. Others have done it.