NEW ORLEANS — If the first step to recovery is admitting there’s a problem, then perhaps the president admitted what many believed for weeks about the spread of COVID-19.
“It will probably, unfortunately, get worse before it gets better. Something I don’t like saying about things, but that’s the way it is.,” said President Trump on Tuesday.
Trump once predicted the virus would disappear and the nation would rebound by Easter. This week, in a supposed show of solidarity, the president put on a face mask. A clear sign the virus is still spreading, including here in Louisiana.
“There is no doubt, we have a long way to go, and the situation is very serious,” said Gov. John Bel Edwards on Tuesday.
The situation affects us on a personal level. Many parents want, and in some cases need, their kids back in school, but some local school districts are delaying their reopening. One is going all virtual.
Then there is the economy. Millions of Americans are praying for more unemployment benefits. We had hopes to see more restaurants and bars up and running by July, but then a place like K-Paul’s Kitchen shuts down.
Bellgarde Bakery is another local business that recently closed. When it did, the owner made a very candid statement about the direction of the country and of the city. In a Facebook post about the closing, Graison Gill wrote in part “…the New Orleanians who make New Orleans are at risk of extinction because brutal social and economic policies have made it unbearable to live here.”
For a brief time, Louisiana was applauded for its handling of the pandemic, but the White House is now calling for more restrictions in the state. The virus has dominated our lives for more than a quarter of a year.
If we can’t admit we have a problem, then maybe we shouldn’t expect to be in recovery.
RELATED: Thousands nationwide walk off job for 'Strike for Black Lives' to protest racial inequality
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.
