Items
topic_interest is exactly
testing and tracing
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2020-09-18
"How We Survive the Winter" - The Atlantic Monthly
As the winter of 2020 approached, James Hamblin, a staff writer for the Atlantic Monthly magazine, published a longform article providing readers with a comprehensive overview of the dangers the oncoming winter would pose during the pandemic. These dangers included, but were not limited to, rising infections (i.e. a second wave of infections), the lack of socially distant amenities (i.e outdoor restaurants and public parks) for people, rising rates of depression due to further social isolation, and the lack of proper ventilation in indoor areas contributing to further infections. These increased risk factors, according to Hamblin, will make winter one of the deadliest periods of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hamblin’s warning is supported by a resurgence in COVID-19 cases in Australia and South Africa, which at the time of the article’s publication was experiencing a Southern Hemisphere winter. To manage the risks associated with winter, Hamblin provides a list of actions that readers can take. These measures include accepting that the pandemic will not be over anytime soon, preparing for more lockdowns, and cancelling holiday gatherings involving extended families. Furthermore, Hamblin implores federal and local governments to establish testing infrastructure to track and contain COVID-19, which will minimize the infection and death rates. However, Hamblin notes that the Trump administration’s mishandling of the pandemic and misinformation of the public do not bode well for controlling the virus. In sum, Hamblin’s article provides a comprehensive overview of what informed writers thought of the dangers of the then oncoming winter of 2020, and what measures could be taken by the average person and the federal government to minimize the spread of COVID-19.