Only a handful of states are close to being reopened fully, but social distancing is over.
The protests over George Floyd’s death have made it clear that the coronavirus is no longer the top concern. Thousands upon thousands of people gathered in the streets of their respective cities to contribute to a movement that they believe in, and public health officials largely applauded their efforts.
But this break from social distancing wasn’t sudden. In fact, these protests have accelerated what was already a trend: People began leaving their homes en masse throughout May, as many returned to work and businesses began to move through the states’ reopening phases. A Gallup poll released in mid-May found that compliance with social distancing had dropped by 17% — even in states where stay-at-home orders were still in place.
There was certainly a “political aspect” to this drop, said Jeffrey Jones, senior editor for the Gallup Poll, citing the Floyd protests. But on a more basic level, people had simply become tired of holing themselves up — and they had been for quite some time. In Michigan, for example, which only recently lifted its shelter-in-place order, residents had been reentering day-to-day society in large numbers as early as late April, according to the New York Times.
There’s a simple explanation for this drop in participation: People watched the coronavirus take its course, and they began to fear it less and less. Now, we can debate the merits of this decision. Perhaps it’s foolish to toss aside concerns about a virus that has taken tens of thousands of lives simply because those concerns are now inconvenient.
But for some, the problem wasn’t just inconvenience. Millions were thrown out of their jobs, hundreds of small businesses were forced to shut their doors for good, and people lost valuable time with their loved ones. Enough was enough.
And, in a way, that’s exactly what the Floyd protesters have done: They’ve decided to risk their health for a cause they value. It turns out they weren’t the only ones.
