We went for a long(ish) country walk from our village today. We met a few other family groups, and all agreed that there was something fishy about the situation. OK, maybe I asked a leading question, but even so. This is by far the greatest infringement of civil liberties since WWII.
I'd imagine yours is the greatest since the Vietnam War draft.
I noticed that Amazon seems to be open for purchases of anything, while smaller retailers are all closed.
David
I don't know how to compare it to a draft, but shutting down businesses for any amount of time let alone an unspecified number of weeks is unprecedented. There's never been anything like it.
However the flexibility of businesses adapting to the new conditions, contributing to the national effort - retooling to provide respirators and hand sanitizer, restaurants selling groceries, (see below) reminds me somewhat of the response to the aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941.
Amazon might be considered an essential service (like a grocery store) since it sells food and medical supplies.
In the US Amazon has locations in different states. Some of those states might not have shut down businesses.
https://pjmedia.com/instapundit/362781/
Truckers are saying “fuck the log rules, I’m hauling” and they’re getting supplies to the stores. People are stocking the shelves all night and letting old people shop first. Folks are buying meals for truckers, who (obviously) can’t go through the drive-ups. Asking ’em what they want, then buying it for them.
Carnival Cruise Line has told Trump “We can match those big Navy Hospital ships with some fully staffed cruise ships”.
GM and Ford have said “hold our cars and watch this — we can make ventilators where we were just making car parts, starting next week” — by re-engineering seat ventilators which their engineers hacked together for a new purpose. In under a week.
In a project with which I’m loosely associated, a very-effective agricultural disease-control agent was re-purposed and re-labeled specifically for Corona-virus control by the FDA and EPA in under ten days, from initial request to distribution.
Restaurants and schools have said, “we’ve got kitchens and staff; we can feed the poor kids who used have school lunch.”
NBA basketball players have said, “Hold our basketballs while we write checks to pay the arena staff.”
Construction companies are saying, “Here are some high-end masks for medical staff and doctors”.
Distilleries are making sanitizer out of distilling “heads and tails” which are normally discarded. Nasty shit to drink, but effective sanitizer.
People are tipping grocery check-out clerks and thanking them for taking the risk.