Tucker Carlson Questions The Wisdom of The Lock-down Approach

During his opening monologue today Fox News host Tucker Carlson outlines how the Wuhan Virus has led to an authoritarian police state without any real basis in science.

“It is easier to be fooled, than to convince people they have been fooled.” Mark Twain.

What Carlson alludes to, though he didn’t specifically connect-the-dot, is the reality of how some sectors of the U.S. economy (the supermarket industry) have continued without issue. That factual reality doesn’t reconcile with the doomsday claims.

No other business segment within the economy is as exposed to the population as the retail food business; and yet supermarkets operated without issue.

There are few high-traffic businesses more densely populated than grocery stores.  In fact, within the U.S. economy retail supermarkets have the highest foot traffic of any business sector in the entire economy; that’s just an empirical fact…. and the coronavirus impact increased that foot traffic by an average of 40 percent.  Now, stop and think about this logically & apply a large dose of common sense. Think about human-to-human interface.

♦First, with approximately 90 percent of the total U.S. population penetrating through grocery outlets; and with 100% of that massive number of consumers going through checkout lanes; if the COVID-19 viral strain was as significant as claimed by the worst-case data, then supermarket cashiers would have been the highest exposed profession of U.S. workers in the entire nation.  There wouldn’t even be a close second place.

Considering that metric; and considering the overall population penetration & density within the business operation; there has not been an employee-based business disruption due to the coronavirus.  Put another way: the coronavirus has not stopped the function of the highest human interface occupation in the entire U.S. economy.

♦Secondly, think about the businesses that are closed; perhaps think about your job that may have been shut down…. now frame your risk based on the supermarket example as highest human interface and highest population penetration in any business field.

If the #1 at risk industry has operated, essentially without disruption and with almost zero substantive mitigation, while carrying the largest population exposure rate, then all other less-exposed business operations would have significantly less operational risk.

Why would anyone be concerned about opening their business?

If you take the factual outcome of the retail food industry as a measure, it would follow that other than a few proximity businesses which may need prudent modifications or remain temporarily closed (ex. modified airplane seating, concerts, stadiums or capacity seating venues etc), then all other businesses should immediately resume operations.

No other business segment within the economy is as exposed to the population as the retail food business; and yet supermarkets operated without issue.

So why shouldn’t all businesses immediately get back to work?

Perhaps a few initial modifications might be needed; but not much, and not for long.

Think about it….